LU 

M^^am        ^+a& 


ELIZABETH  M.  DUFFIELD 


LUCILE,  BRINGER  OF  JOY 


r.  OF  GALIF.  LIBRARY.  LO§ 


'SECOND     THE      MOTION,"      AGRF.F.D      MARJORIE,      LOOKING      AT     THEM 
EXPECTANTLY   (See  page  38) 


LUCILE 

BRINGER  OF  JOY 


BY 

ELIZABETH  M.  DUFFIELD 

AUTHOH  OF  "LUCILE  THE  TORCH  BEARER,"  "LUCILE  TRIUMPHANT,1 
"LUCILE  ON  THE  HEIGHTS" 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 

M.  P.  TAYLOR 


NEW  YORK 

GEORGE  SULLY  AND  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1917, 
BY  SULLY  AND  KLEINTEICH 

All  Rights  Reserved 


PRINTED  IN  U.  S,  A. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    JIM  AGAIN ! 

II.    A  WELCOME  SUMMONS     ....  14 

III.  GOOD  NEWS  TRAVELS  FAST     ...  29 

IV.  GATHERING  OF  THE  CLANS     .      .     ...      41 
V.     BRIGHTENING  SKIES 54 

VI.  A  MERRY  PARTY 65 

VII.  GUARDIAN  OF  THE  CAMP  FIRE     .     .  77 
VIII.     A  FISH  STORY 89 

IX.     THE  ROAR  OF  THE  SURF  ....  101 

X.     MOONLIGHT IIO 

XL    A  MODERN  CINDERELLA     ....  122 

XII.    A  RIFT  IN  THE  LUTE 134 

XIII.  STARTLING  NEWS I4I 

XIV.  JACK  FORGETS !C2 

XV.  EXCITING  DEVELOPMENTS   ....  164 

XVI.  PICTURES  IN  THE  FIRE      .     .     .     .  ^ 
XVII.     FAIRY  GODMOTHERS      ....  187 

XVIII.     THE  DANCE  .  Tnr» 

iyy 

XIX.    A  GROWING  MYSTERY  ....  200 


2129167 


vi  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XX.  THE  EDGE  OF  TRAGEDY     ....  219 

XXI.    THE  CRAB'S  PART 225 

XXII.    CONSPIRATORS 235 

XXIII.  MIRTH  AND  MARGARET      ....  244 

XXIV.  THE  CAMP  FIRE  SPIRIT     ....  253 

XXV.  GHOSTS    .     .     .     .     .     ..     .    '..''.  263 

XXVI.    THE  PITILESS  SEA 275 

XXVII.     "Mv  LITTLE  SISTER" 285 

XXVIII.     DREAMS    .     .     .' 293 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"Second  the  motion,"  agreed  Marjorie,  look- 
ing at  them  expectantly.    (See  page  38) .  .Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

"I  dare  you  girls  to  dive  right  in" 146 

They  looked  out  to  where  the  gallant  little 
band  of  rescuers  was  fighting 282 

He  caught  the  little  hand  that  was  raised  in 

protest 300 


CHAPTER  I 

JIM    AGAIN 

"A  YOUNG  man  to  see  you,  Miss." 

Lucile  looked  up  inquiringly  at  Mary's  head,  which 
was  all  she  could  see  of  that  estimable  person. 

"A  young  man,  Mary?"  she  repeated,  in  evident 
surprise.  "But  what  can  a  young  man  want  of  me 
this  time  in  the  afternoon?  Are  you  sure  he  didn't 
ask  for  Mr.  Phil?" 

"Well,  to  be  tellin'  ye  the  truth,  Miss  Lucile,  it 
seems  to  me  he  did  that  same,  but  Mr.  Phil  not  bein' 
home,  he  asked  for  you." 

—  "Second  fiddle,  I  knew  it,"  Lucile  declaimed  tragic- 
ally, as  she  tucked  a  curl  into  place  and  surveyed  her 
reflection  in  the  long  mirror.  "Even  at  that,  I  might 
as  well  make  myself  presentable.  Very  well,  Mary," 
she  added,  as  her  eyes  met  those  of  the  maid,  which 
were  fixed  upon  her  young  mistress  in  very  evident 
admiration.  "Tell  the  visitor  that  the  second  fid — 

I  mean  I,  will  be  down  right  away." 

i 


2  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

"Yes,  Miss,"  said  Mary,  obediently,  and  Lucile 
turned  back  to  the  mirror. 

"Now  who — "  she  began,  apostrophizing  the  serious 
young  person  opposite.  "Who  can  it  be?  I  might 
have  asked  Mary  the  color  of  his  hair  or  his  eyes — 
but  then  she  wouldn't  have  known  and  I  would  be  as 
much  in  the  dark  as  ever.  Well,  perhaps,  the  sensible 
thing  would  be  to  go  and  find  out  for  myself !" 

And  with  this  sarcasm  aimed  at  her  own  mischiev- 
ous self,  Lucile  gave  her  dress  a  final  pat  and  opened 
the  door  into  the  hall.  She  peeped  over  the  banister 
but,  not  being  able  to  catch  sight  of  the  mysterious 
stranger  from  that  vantage  point,  straightened  the  cor- 
ners of  her  laughing  mouth,  and  prepared  to  descend 
the  stairs  with  a  dignity  and  decorum  befitting  her 
seventeen  years. 

The  stranger  was  standing  before  one  of  the  win- 
dows, hands  clasped  behind  him  and  evidently  ab- 
sorbed in  his  own  thoughts,  but  as  Lucile  entered  the 
room  he  whirled  suddenly,  and  the  full  light  from  the 
opened  door  fell  upon  him.  He  was  undoubtedly 
young,  slim  and  straight  with  clean  cut  features  and  a 
wealth  of  auburn  hair.  There  was  no  mistaking  the 
clear  gray  of  his  eyes. 


Jim  Again  3 

Lucile  hesitated  for  the  space  of  a  second,  then  ran 
forward,  her  eyes  sparkling  and  both  hands  out- 
stretched in  delighted  welcome. 

"Jim!"  she  cried,  "Jim — oh,  I  never  expected  to 
see  you — I'm  so  glad.  Turn  around,  do,  and  let  me 
see  you  from  all  sides.  Oh,  you're  just  the  same  old 
Jim — you  bring  back  old  times  with  a  rush.  My,  but 
I'm  glad  to  see  you,"  and  she  paused  for  sheer  lack 
of  breath  and  beamed  upon  him. 

As  for  Jim,  he  was  carried  off  his  feet  by  this 
unaffectedly  cordial  reception,  and  for  a  moment, 
couldn't  for  the  life  of  him  think  of  anything  to  say. 
Then,  after  clearing  his  throat  once  or  twice,  he  man- 
aged to  convey  something  of  his  feelings. 

"It's  mighty  good  of  you,  Miss  Lucile,"  he  began, 
but  Lucile  interrupted  him  vehemently. 

"Please  don't  call  me  Miss  Lucile,  Jim,"  she  said. 
"We're  old  enough  friends  to  drop  that.  And  as  for 
it's  being  good  of  me — well,  I  don't  think  I  deserve 
much  credit  for  telling  you  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you. 
Do  sit  down  and  tell  me  all  about  yourself — from  the 
very  beginning." 

"I  think  almost  anybody  would  do  what  you  said, 
Miss — I  mean  Lucile,"  said  Jim,  his  gray  eyes  twin- 


4  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

kling.  "If  you  are  glad  to  see  me,  why  it's  nothing 
to  the  way  I  feel  about  seeing  you.  You  haven't 
changed  much,  except  that  you're — "  he  hesitated  be- 
fore the  word,  being  very  young  and  not  used  to  pay- 
ing compliments  to  pretty  girls — especially  girls  like 
Lucile. 

"Less  bad  looking,"  suggested  that  young  lady  imp- 
ishly, then  added,  quickly.  "No,  I  wasn't  fishing,  Jim. 
But  you  haven't  told  me  anything  about  yourself,  yet," 
she  reminded  him. 

"There  isn't  very  much  to  tell,"  he  answered,  mod- 
estly, "about  myself — I  mean.  I  really  came  with  a 
message  from  Mrs.  Wescott." 

"Mrs.  Wescott,"  Lucile  repeated,  her  color  rising. 
"Tell  me,  Jim — how  is  she?" 

"Pretty  well.  But  the  doctor  says  what  she  needs 
is  a  good  rest  and  plenty  of  fresh  air.  That's  what 
I  came  to  speak  to  you  about." 

"Methinks  I  see  light,"  said  Lucile  as  though  to 
herself,  then  turning  to  Jim,  added,  breathlessly. 
"Oh,  tell  me,  Jim,  quickly — I  hate  suspense." 

"Hello,  Sis.  Jessie  wanted  me  to  tell  you " 

The  two,  looking  up,  beheld  Phil  framed  in  the  door- 
way and  Lucile  murmured  something  under  her 
breath  that  sounded  very  much  like  "bother." 


Jim  Again  5 

"Come  in,  Phil  and  see  who's  here,"  she  said  aloud. 
"He  is  rather  an  old  friend  of  yours,  I  think." 

"Well,  by  the  seven  jumping  mackerel!"  cried  Phil, 
his  face  illumined.  "If  it  isn't  Jim — very  much  the 
same,  only  different.  Well,  how  are  you,  old  man? 
You're  just  about  the  last  person  I  expected  to  see 
in  Burleigh.  How  are  things  going  on  Broadway?" 

"To  wreck  and  ruin  since  I'm  not  there  to  manage 
them,"  Jim  answered,  with  a  flash  of  his  rare  humor. 
"But  I'll  tell  you  one  thing — it  seems  mighty  good  to 
get  back  to  the  country  again." 

"I  should  think  so,"  Phil  sympathized.  "But,  se- 
riously, Jim,  what  did  bring  you  down  to  the  wilds?" 

"You're  not  very  flattering,  Phil,"  his  sister  com- 
plained. "You  don't  seem  to  think  it  possible  that 
anybody  might  want  to  see  us." 

"We-el,"  said  Phil,  considering.  "Of  course,  it  isn't 
at  all  strange  that  any  one  should  travel  all  this  dis- 
tance to  see  me — but  why  include  yourself,  my  dear," 
and  he  regarded  his  sister  with  well  simulated  surprise. 

Lucile  laughed  and  gave  a  little  despairing  shrug 
of  her  shoulders.  "You  see  what  it  is  to  have  a 
brother,"  she  said,  then  added,  struck  by  a  sudden 
memory,  "What  was  it  you  were  saying  about  Jessie 
when  you  came  in?" 


6  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"About  Jessie?"  he  queried.  "Oh,  yes,  she  said  she 
was  going  to  stop  in  somewhere — I  think  it  was  Mar- 
jorie's — to  return  that  book  she  borrowed,  and  then 
would  come  right  over  here.  You  see  I  remember 
the  message  word  for  word/'  he  added,  proudly, 
throwing  out  his  chest. 

"Good  boy,"  Lucile  commended,  giving  him  a  pa- 
•  tronizing  little  pat  on  the  head.  "You  really  are  im- 
proving. If  you  don't  mind,  Jim,"  she  added,  "I'll 
leave  you  two  boys  alone  for  a  little  while  to  compare 
notes,  while  I  see  if  I  can  find  Jessie.  But  promise 
you  won't  tell  Phil  the  news  till  we  get  back." 

Jim's  gray  eyes  met  Lucile's  laughing  ones.  "That's 
easy,"  he  promised.  "Since  the  news  was  for  you 
especially." 

"I  wish  I  knew  what  you  were  talking  about,"  Phil 
complained.  "It's  not  fair  to  leave  a  fellow  out  in 
the  cold  like  that." 

"Build  a  fire  then,  brother  dear,"  Lucile  sang  back, 
as  she  caught  up  her  little  jacket  from  the  rack  and 
started  out  on  the  porch.  "I  can't  tell  you,  because 
I  don't  know,  and  Jim  can't  because  he's  promised  not 
to,  so — there  you  are.  I'll  be  back  in  no  time,"  and 
the  boys  watched  her  as  she  ran  down  the  steps  and 


Jim  Again  7 

up  the  street,  stopping  for  a  moment  to  wave  them 
an  airy  farewell. 

"What  do  you  think  of  my  sister?"  said  Phil, 
proudly  as  he  turned  back  to  his  visitor.  "She's 
changed  some  since  you  last  saw  her,  hasn't  she  ?" 

"A  little — for  the  better,"  Jim  replied. 

Meanwhile  Lucile  had  found  her  friend. 

"You  look  as  if  you  had  just  been  left  a  fortune, 
Lucy,"  the  latter  was  saying.  "Please  tell  me  what's 
happened  or  going  to  happen  or " 

"But  I  can't,"  Lucile  protested.  "I  told  you  before 
that  I  don't  know  myself — not  all  of  it,  anyway." 

"Well,  you  can  at  least  tell  me  what  you  do  know, 
can't  you?"  Jessie  was  beginning  exasperatedly  when 
Lucile  interrupted. 

"Please  don't  talk  so  much,  Jessie,  dear,"  she 
begged,  linking  her  arm  through  her  friends  and  hus- 
tling her  along.  "When  you  talk  you  can't  hurry,  so 
it's  plain  you  will  have  to  stop  talking.  Here,  give  me 
your  hand  and  we'll  run  for  it." 

Jessie  obeyed,  there  being  nothing  else  to  do,  and 
in  a  moment  they  had  reached  the  house  and  had 
stopped  to  take  breath.  Jessie  turned  upon  her  friend, 
eyes  wide  with  excitement  and  wonder. 


8  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"You  make  me  feel  as  if  I  were  going  to  see  Ali 
Baba  or  Aladdin's  lamp  or " 

"There's  nothing  about  him  like  Ali  or  the  lamp 
either,  laughed  Lucile,  adding  with  a  chuckle,  "except 
his  hair  which  might  come  in  handy  as  a  torch " 

"Oh,  so  it  is  a  man "  Jessie  began,  triumphantly. 

"You  flatter  him,"  said  Lucile,  seriously,  then,  seiz- 
ing her  friend  by  the  hand,  she  half  pulled  her  into 
the  hall,  chanting,  "Hang  not  back  fair  maiden.  He 
doth  not  bite,  neither  doth  he  sting " 

"Goose,"  commented  Jessie,  but  had  time  for  no 
more.  Lucile  pushed  back  the  portieres  into  the  living 
room,  crying  dramatically:  "Behold,"  and  the  two 
boys  who  had  been  engrossed  in  intimate  conversa- 
tion, turned  and  faced  them  laughingly. 

"Why  all  the  noise?"  Phil  began,  then,  seeing  the 
direction  of  Jessie's  gaze,  added,  with  a  laugh :  "Gee, 
anybody  might  think  you  were  an  escaped  freak  from 
a  dime  museum,  Jim.  Or  maybe  she's  just  trying  to 
hypnotize  you " 

"That  will  do  for  you,  Phil,"  said  Jessie,  turning 
upon  him  a  look  in  which  severity  and  merriment 
struggled  for  supremacy.  "I  just  couldn't  believe 
my  eyes,  that's  all,"  she  added,  turning  to  Jim,  who 


«>im  Again  9 

was  enjoying  himself  immensely.  "I'm  awfully  glad 
to  see  you  Jim.  Lucile  didn't  even  give  me  a  hint  that 
you  were  her  surprise " 

"Yes,  I  did,  too,"  murmured  Lucile  from  her  favor- 
ite nook  in  the  window  seat;  "only  you  wouldn't  take 
it.  In  fact,  I  almost  gave  it  away." 

As  Jessie  looked  at  her  friend  light  dawned  and 
she  began  to  laugh.  "Oh,  I  know  now  what  you  meant 
about  Aladdin's  lamp  and — and — the  light " 

"It's  not  being  done,  really  it  isn't — in  the  best  cir- 
cles," protested  Phil,  and  all  but  his  sister  looked  at 
him  in  surprise. 

"What  isn't?"  queried  Jim,  forgetting  his  native 
shyness  in  this  atmosphere  of  fun  and  good-fellowship. 

"Why,  enjoying  a  joke  all  by  themselves  without 
letting  us  in  on  it,"  Phil  explained,  adding,  sadly: 
"The  worst  of  it  is,  they  know  better — they  know  it's 
wrong " 

"Oh,  Phil,  dear,  have  pity  on  our  guest,  if  you  have 
none  on  us,"  begged  Lucile.  "He  came  all  the  way 
from  New  York  to  Burleigh  to  be  amused — not  bur- 
dened with  our  many  and  varied  faults " 

"It's  more  than  I  expected  to  hear  you  admit  that 
you  had  any,"  Phil  retorted. 


10  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

"Don't  you  admit  anything,  Lucy  dear — insist  on 
proof,"  Jessie  advised  as  she  slipped  into  the  seat 
beside  Lucile  and  put  an  arm  about  her  waist.  "We 
think  we're  pretty  nice,  and  it's  up  to  him  to  prove 
otherwise." 

"I  bet  it's  more  than  he  can  do,"  said  Jim  with 
unexpected  gallantry.  "If  I  were  you,  Phil,  I'd  back 
out  before  I  sank  in  so  deep." 

"Is  that  what  they  teach  you  in  Gotham?"  Phil  in- 
quired. "I  thought  the  motto  there  was  to  get  in  as 
deep  as  you  can  and  take  your  chance  of  reaching 
shore  or  drowning." 

"Hear,  hear,"  Jessie  encored.  "We  have  with  us 
to-night  Mr.  Philip  Payton — the  noted  philosopher — 
or  whatever-you  call-it " 

"Thank  you,"  said  Phil,  bowing  gravely.  "Praise 
from  the  lips  of  so  fair  a  lady " 

"Oh,  oh,  do  stop,  you  two,"  begged  Lucile  despair- 
ingly. "I  don't  often  have  a  chance  to  hear  Jim  talk, 
but  I  can  hear  you  every  day  and  all  day  and  every 
minute " 

"Now,  who's  doing  the  talking,"  Jessie  interrupted. 
"Phil  and  I  haven't  said  a  word  for  at  least " 

"Two  seconds,  Lucile  finished.     "Jim,  you  begin 


Jim  Again  11 

when  I  leave  off.  Tell  us  what  you  were  going  to 
about  our  guardian." 

"Our  guardian,"  Jessie  repeated,  all  banter  gone 
and  only  loving  interest  in  its  place.  "Oh,  Jim,  how 
is  she?" 

"Better  than  she  was,"  he  answered,  and  one  could 
tell  by  the  gentle  tone  in  which  he  spoke  of  her  that 
she  was  as  dear  to  him  as  to  the  girls — and  indeed  it 
was  not  strange,  for  their  beautiful,  young  guardian 
had  taken  this  motherless,  fatherless  boy  into  her 
heart  and  home  and  during  the  last  two  years  had 
done  her  best — and  that  is  saying  a  good  deal — to 
make  up  for  the  life  of  neglect  he  had  known.  "A 
good  deal  better  than  she  was,"  he  repeated.  "But 
the  doctor  thinks  a  long  summer  at  the  seashore  would 
set  her  up  and  make  her  as  good  as  new  again.  She's 
pretty  thin,"  he  added,  wistfully. 

"Oh,  but  as  long  as  she's  doing  well  now,  we 
oughtn't  to  say  a  word,"  Jessie  protested.  "Why,  all 
the  time  she  was  so  sick,  Lucy  and  I  and  the  other 
girls  couldn't  even  study,  we  were  so  worried." 

"Yes,  and  it  was  awfully  good  of  you,  Jim,  to  write 
to  us  so  often,"  Lucile  added.  "If  you  hadn't,  I 
think  I  would  have  dropped  school  and  everything 


12  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

else  and  just  gone  up  there  to  be  near  her,  even  if  I 
couldn't  help." 

"Oh,  and  the  day  the  telegram  came — do  you  re- 
member that,  Lucy?"  Jessie's  eyes  were  shining  with 
the  memory.  "The  telegram  from  Jim  that  said  the 
crisis  was  passed  and  the  doctor  said  she  would  live?" 

"Do  I  remember?'  said  Lucile,  a  little  quiver  in  her 
laugh.  "Why  we  cried  all  night — just  from  sheer 
joy." 

"Yes,  and  then  the  morning  came  and  you  said  the 
sun  was  shining  brighter  than  it  ever  had  before — just 
because  she  was  getting  well,"  and  the  two  girls  looked 
at  each  other,  their  faces  radiant  with  the  reflection  of 
that  glad  morning. 

"That's  something  the  way  we  felt  home,"  said 
Jim,  with  an  understanding  nod.  "But  for  a  while 
we  were  too  relieved  and  too  tired  out  to  do  anything 
but  sleep,"  he  paused  and  looked  absently  at  the  floor 
between  his  feet. 

"But  didn't  Mrs.  Wescott  send  some  message, 
Jim?"  Lucile  prompted.  "I'm  sure  you  spoke  of  it." 

"Hello,  everybody.  I  hope  I'm  not  spoiling  the 
party !" 

With  a  joyful  little  cry,  Lucile  slipped  from  her 


Jim  Again  13 

seat  and  ran  over  to  the  door,  where  stood  a  fine,  erect 
gentleman,  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  eye  that  at  first 
glance  betokened  the  humorist. 

"You're  just  in  time  to  hear  the  story,  Dad,"  said 
Lucile,  snuggling  into  the  shelter  of  his  big  arm.  "Do 
you  remember  Jim,  whom  we  met  that  summer  we 
were  in  camp?" 

"Why,  of  course  I  do,"  said  Mr.  Payton,  holding 
out  a  cordial  hand  to  Jim.  "I'm  glad  to  see  you." 

"Oh,  bother,  there's  the  dinner  bell,"  Lucile  ex- 
claimed vexedly.  "I  guess  we're  fated  never  to  hear 
anything.  Oh,  but  I  know  what  we  can  do,"  she 
added,  seized  with  sudden  inspiration.  "We  can  build 
a  fire  in  the  grate  after  dinner — it  isn't  too  warm,  I 
guess — and  then  we  can  all  sit  around  it  while  Jim 
delivers  our  guardian's  message.  It  will  seem  like  our 
old  camp-fire.  Come  on,  Jessie,  Mother  doesn't  like 
to  be  kept  waiting." 

"When  it  comes  to  eating,  neither  do  I,"  Phil  re- 
marked. 

"After  dinner  you  won't  have  to  tell  Jim  that,"  said 
Jessie,  with  such  scornful  emphasis  that  Phil  turned 
up  his  coat  collar  for  the  purpose,  as  he  remarked  to 
Jim  in  an  aside,  of  keeping  out  the  "bitter,  bitter  cold." 


CHAPTER  II 

A    WELCOME    SUMMONS 

AFTER  a  most  critical  inspection  on  the  part  of  Mrs. 
Payton,  for  that  lady  had  never  met  Jim  before,  the 
guest  was  shown  his  seat  with  distant  politeness  and, 
with  equal  politeness  invited  to  make  use  of  it.  Poor 
Jim,  who  had  been  so  joyfully  welcomed  by  the  rest  of 
the  family,  was  distinctly  embarrassed  and  Phil  began 
to  fume  inwardly. 

"Have  some  of  this  de — licious  jelly  with  your 
meat,  Jim,"  Lucile  invited,  hoping  to  break  the  ten- 
sion. "I  know  it's  good  because : 

"She  made  it  herself,'*  Jessie  chuckled.  "How's 
that  for  conceit?" 

Lucile  laughed  and  Jim  thought  he  had  never  seen 
anything  so  pretty  as  Lucile  when  she  laughed.  Her 
hair  was  so  dark,  her  color  so  bright  and  her  eyes  so 
full  of  sparkling  mischief  that — well,  all  he  could 
think  of  was  the  sun  on  a  June  day.  And  in  his  own 
heart,  Jim  could  have  paid  her  no  greater  compliment. 

Then  he  looked  across  at  Jessie,  who  was  at  that 

14 


A  Welcome  Summons  15 

moment  conscientiously  engaged  in  baiting  the  son 
and  heir  of  the  Payton  family — who  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, seemed  singularly  contented  and  happy  under 
the  treatment — and  thought  he  had  never  seen  so 
marked  a  contrast.  For  Jessie  had  golden  hair  and 
corn-flower  eyes,  and  a  smile  that  rivaled  Lucile's  own 
— it  was  strange  he  had  not  noticed  how  pretty  they 
were  that  year  in  camp.  Perhaps 

"An  olive  for  your  thoughts,  Jim,"  Jessie  challenged 
him,  so  suddenly  that  he  started.  "You  haven't  said 
a  word  for  the  last  five  minutes." 

"Why,  I — I  wasn't  thinking  of  anything  in  particu- 
lar," stammered  poor  Jim,  taken  aback  by  the  sudden 
attack. 

"Come  on,  Jim,  earn  your  olive,"  Phil  urged.  And 
then,  as  if  struck  by  a  sudden  thought,  he  added,  "Per- 
haps he  doesn't  like  olives,  Jessie.  You  should  have 
offered  him  beefsteak  or  something  like  that " 

"He  has  all  the  meat  he  can  eat  now,"  Lucile  ob- 
jected. "What  you  really  ought  to  do  would  be  to 
offer  him  some  delicacy,  such  as — well,  lemon  tarts 
with  nice  fluffy  meringue  on  top — the  kind  that  I  hap- 
pen to  know  are  coming" — these  last  words  uttered 
in  a  stage  whisper. 


16  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Lucile,"  her  mother  rebuked  her.  "I  don't  know 
what  you  can  be  thinking  of.  I  don't  want  you  to 
imagine,"  she  added,  turning  to  Jim,  "that  we  are  in 
the  habit  of  announcing  our  dessert  in  that  manner." 

Poor  Jim  could  think  of  nothing  to  say  in  reply,  and 
so  very  wisely  held  his  tongue,  while  Lucile's  color 
rose  and  Phil  savagely  attacked  what  remained  of  his 
meat. 

The  meal  was  finished  in  comparative  silence,  and 
when  at  last  it  was  over,  the  young  folks  rose  from 
the  table  with  a  sigh  of  relief.  Once  back  in  the  cheer- 
ful living  room,  however,  their  spirits  and  curiosity 
revived  with  a  bound. 

"Now  for  a  dear  old  fire  and  your  news,  Jim," 
sighed  Lucile,  contentedly,  as  she  made  herself  com- 
fortable in  the  big  Morris  chair.  "Come  on  in  here 
with  me,  Jessie,"  she  added.  "There's  plenty  of  room 
for  two,  and  we  can  watch  while  the  fellows  do  the 
work." 

"Yes,  that  sounds  easy,*'  Phil  objected,  regarding 
the  big  fireplace  doubtfully.  "Are  you  sure  you  want 
a  fire,  Lucy?  It's  going  to  be  mighty  warm." 

"I  think  you're  just  lazy,"  pouted  Jessie,  from  the 
depths  of  the  big  chair.  "A  fire's  half  the  fun." 


A  Welcome  Summons  17 

"That's  pretty  good  from  you,  young  lady,"  said 
Phil,  turning  a  severe  gaze  upon  her.  "I  must  say 
you  two  girls  look  the  very  picture  of  energy." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Lucile  gravely  and  Jessie  made 
a  little  face  at  him  that  hastened  his  surrender. 

"Oh,  well,  I  suppose  we  might  as  well  do  it  first 
as  last,  Jim,"  he  capitulated.  "Come  on  down  in  the 
cellar  and  help  me  bring  up  some  wood.  Meanwhile, 
I  hope  you  ladies  will  bear  up  under  our  absence,  We 
won't  be  long." 

"Take  your  time,"  Jessie  invited  graciously.  "Only 
don't  be  surprised  if  you  feel  your  ears  beginning  to 
burn.  We've  just  been  dying  for  this  chance  to  talk 
about  you." 

"Don't  doubt  it,"  returned  Phil,  calmly.  "But  since 
there's  nothing  but  good  you  can  say  of  us,  why  should 
we  worry?  Come  on,  Jim,  let's  see  how  soon  we  can 
get  this  job  over  with." 

When  the  boys  were  gone,  Jessie  gave  her  friend  a 
little  impulsive  hug.  "Lucy,"  she  whispered,  "hasn't 
Jim  improved  wonderfully — why  I  think  he's  posi- 
tively handsome.  And,  oh,  Lucy,  can't  you  guess  what 
that  message  from  our  guardian  is  ?" 

"Guess,"  Lucile  repeated,  in  the  same  tone.    "Why 


18  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

the  very  first  minute  Jim  spoke  of  the  seashore  I  was 
almost  positive  what  he  had  come  to  tell  us — or  ask 
us.  You  know  our  guardian  wouldn't  send  him  way 
out  here  unless — unless " 

"Oh,  Lucy,  don't  say  it,  don't  let's  even  whisper  it, 
until  we  are  sure.  It — it  would  be  too  great  a  dis- 
appointment. Oh,  I  think  I  want  to  see  our  guardian 
more  than  anything  else  in  the  world.  And  to  have 
her  for  a  whole  summer " 

"Hush,"  Lucile  cautioned,  her  hand  over  Jessie's 
mouth.  "Here" come  the  boys — and  besides,  I  thought 
we  weren't  even  going  to  mention " 

"Hello,"  sang  out  Phil.  "It's  getting  pretty  dark  in 
there,  what?  You  girls  look  like  a  couple  of  ghosts." 

"Phil,  you're  anything  but  complimentary,"  Lucile 
objected.  "I'm  sure  neither  Jessie  nor  I  feel  the  least 
bit  ethereal.  Ouch — you  stepped  on  my  toe !" 

"I  just  wanted  to  make  sure  you  were  real,"  her 
brother  explained  blandly,  while  Lucile  looked  about 
vainly  for  something  to  throw  at  him. 

"If  I  weren't  so  nice  and  comfortable  and  lazy, 
brother  dear,"  she  purred,  "I  should  have  my  re- 
venge." 

"Goodness,  I  should  think  you  would  be  scared  to 


A  Welcome  Summons  19 

death  to  have  such  a  terrible  enemy,"  said  Jessie,  giv- 
ing her  friend  a  loving  little  squeeze.  "I  know  I 
wouldn't  like  to  have  her  angry  with  me." 

"Be  careful,  Phil,"  Lucile  exclaimed,  as  a  piece  of 
wood  snapped  from  the  main  log  and  blazed  up  on 
the  hearth.  "Might  I  suggest  that  the  best  way  to 
build  a  fire  is  in  the  grate  and  not  on  the  hardwood 
floors?  Oh,  there  goes  another  one!" 

"Say,  who's  doing  this?"  demanded  her  brother, 
sitting  back  on  his  heels  and  glaring  up  belligerently 
at  his  undaunted  sister.  "Ever  since  you  girls  formed 
the  camp-fire,  you  think  you  can  build  fires  and  such 
things  better  than  any  one  else.  Suppose  you  take  a 
hack  at  this  one." 

"Be  not  wroth,  pretty  one,"  soothed  Jessie  in  her 
sweetest  tones.  "I  am  sure  Lucile  meant  no  harm  by 
her  simple  suggestion 

"Simple  is  right,"  grumbled  Phil.  "Here,  let  me 
give  you  a  hand  with  that,  Jim.  That's  the  idea !  Now, 
to  my  poor  way  of  thinking  that's  considerable  of 
a  fire.  Does  it  suit  your  majesty  ?"  he  added,  turning 
to  the  dark-haired  sister  of  whom  he  was  inordinately 
fond  and  who  returned  his  affection  with  interest. 
Seldom  were  brother  and  sister  more  united. 


20  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"It's  splendid,  dear,"  she  assured  him  while  Jessie 
murmured  in  an  undertone.  "Almost  as  good  as  we 
could  have  done  ourselves." 

Phil  chose  to  ignore  this  last  thrust  and  addressed 
himself  to  Jim.  "Since  the  two  girls  are  set  on  sit- 
ting  " 

"Set  on  settin'  would  sound  more — euphonious," 
Jessie  interrupted,  still  in  an  undertone,  while  Lucile 
squeezed  her  warningly. 

"As  I  was  saying,  Jim,"  Phil  continued  with  an  air 
of  infinite  patience.  "As  long  as  we  have  done  the 
work,  we  might  as  well  have  some  benefit  from  it. 
Come  on — bring  up  your  chair  and  make  yourself 
comfortable." 

"And  then  tell  us  about  our  guardian,"  Lucile  added, 
leaning  forward  into  the  full  glare  of  the  firelight  that 
brought  out  the  lustre  of  her  dark  hair  and  made  her 
eyes  gleam  like  jewels.  "We've  waited  so  long  that 
I  feel  as  if  I  couldn't  wait  another  quarter  of  a  second. 
Now  just  imagine  we're  around  our  old  camp-fire  and 
— talk  that  way." 

"Yes,  Jim,  please  go  on,"  Jessie  added,  softly. 

For  a  moment  only  the  cheerful  crackling  of  the 
blaze  broke  the  stillness  of  the  room,  for  the  girls 


A  Welcome  Summons  21 

were  both  intent  upon  Jim,  who  seemed  in  no  hurry  to 
begin.  He  sat  gazing  into  the  fire  as  if  he  saw  many 
things  there. 

"Well,"  he  began,  when  the  girls  were  beginning  to 
get  impatient.  "There  isn't  such  a  lot  to  tell.  You 
see,  young  Mr.  Wescott  will  have  to  go  out  to  Wiscon- 
sin this  summer  to  look  after  some  big  engineering 
enterprise  out  there,  and  he  has  been  worried  about 
leaving  Mrs.  Wescot  alone — especially  since  she  isn't 
very  strong  yet.  Then,  when  the  doctor  advised  the 
seashore  for  the  summer,  Mrs.  Wescott  thought  of  a 
plan  that  appealed  to  everybody." 

"Oh,  yes ,"  said  the  girls,  scarcely  above  a  whis- 
per. 

"The  plan,"  Jim  continued,  "is  this.  It  seems  at 
one  time  Mr.  Wescott  was  building  a  bridge  near 
Tanike — a  sort  of — oh,  what  do  you  call  it?" 

"Watering  place?"  Lucile  suggested. 

"That's  it,"  he  answered,  gratefully.  "At  least,  they 
called  it  that,  although  it  always  sounds  more  to  me 
like  a  breakfast  food  than  a  summer  resort.  Anyway, 
Mr.  Wescott  liked  the  place  first  rate  at  the  time — said 
the  houses  and  hotels  looked  as  though  if  you  pushed 
them  they  would  topple  into  the  ocean — they're  so 


22  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

close.  Well,  Mrs.  Wescott  decided  to  take  a  cottage 
there  and  then  she  thought  of  you  girls." 

"Yes?"  they  chorused  again. 

"Well,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  how  would  you 
and  a  couple  of  your  friends  like  to  spend  the  summer 
with  her  in  the  furnished  cottage?  That's  what  she 
wanted  me  to  put  up  to  you." 

The  g'irls  leaned  back  with  a  sigh  of  absolute  con- 
tent, while  Lucile's  hand  reached  out  and  clasped  her 
friend's  warmly. 

"Oh,  to  make  a  question  of  it — to  ask  us  whether  we 
should  like  to  go,"  Lucile  marveled.  "When  she  knew 
all  she  had  to  do  was  just  beckon  and  we  would  come 
running.  Jessie,  our  guardian  wants  us  for  the  whole 
summer — think  of  it — for  the  whole  summer!"  and 
she  repeated  the  last  words  with  a  sort  of  awed  delight. 

Jessie's  eyes  were  shining  in  the  glow  of  the  fire 
light.  I'm  just  trying  to  realize  that  fact,  Lucy  dear," 
she  murmured.  "To  be  with  our  guardian  would  be 
enough,  but  just  think  what  we  will  have  beside — the 
beautiful  beach  and  swimming  in  the  real  ocean " 

"Anybody  would  think  to  hear  you  talk  that  you'd 
never  seen  the  'real  ocean,'  "  broke  in  Phil.  "How 
about  last  year?" 


A  Welcome  Summons  23 

"Well,  that  was  wonderful,  but  very  different,'* 
Jessie  retorted.  "Then  we  were  on  the  ocean  most 
of  the  time — not  in  it." 

"Seems  to  me  that  is  a  fact  for  rejoicing,"  coun- 
tered Phil.  "If  we  had  been  run  down  by  that  giant 
cruiser  we  might  have  been  in  it — up  to  our  necks." 

Jim  laughed.  "You  did  mighty  well  as  it  was," 
he  remarked.  "There  were  a  good  many  people — 
those  pretty  far  inland  at  the  time  war  was  annuonced 
— that  had  considerable  trouble  getting  out  of  the  old 
country." 

"Oh,  but  that  trip  back,"  said  Lucile,  with  a  little 
shudder  at  the  memory.  "With  all  the  lights  out  and 
the  mist  so  thick  you  could  almost  cut  it — oh " 

"Was  kind  of  creepy,  wasn't  it,"  Phil  agreed,  gazing 
fixedly  into  the  fire.  "Just  the  same,  I'd  do  it  all  over 
again  if  I  had  the  chance." 

"So  would  I.  If  we  had  only  been  able  to  get  to 
Switzerland,  I'd  ask  no  more  of  fate,"  mourned  Lucile 
wistfully. 

And  it  had  been  hard  for  her  to  relinquish  the  most 
cherished  dream  of  her  girlhood — that  of  seeing 
Switzerland  and  Rome — to  be  hurried  back  to  the 
good  old  Stars  and  Stripes  beneath  the  grim  shadow 


24  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

of  an  international  war — it  had  been  hard,  but,  oh, 
how  good  America  had  looked  at  the  end  of  their 
trying  journey!  The  memory  of  that  moment  when 
the  passionate  patriotism  of  the  returning  voyagers 
had  found  expression  in  a  storm  of  wild  cheering — 
when  the  stirring  strains  of  the  "Star-Spangled  Ban- 
ner," simg  with  joyful  enthusiasm,  had  wrung  out 
martially  over  the  water,  bringing  hope  to  the  anxious 
welcoming  crowd  on  shore — the  memory  of  that  mo- 
ment would  live  in  their  hearts  forever. 

"Mrs.  Wescott  was  sure  you  would  either  be  shot 
or  drowned,"  said  Jim,  following  his  own  train  of 
thought.  "You  never  saw  any  one  quite  so  worried 
as  she  was." 

"Bless  her  heart,"  said  Lucile  lovingly.  "She's  al- 
ways taking  care  of  everybody  but  herself.  Oh,  how 
wonderful  it  all  seems — about  this  summer,  I  mean. 
When  does  she  want  to  start,  Jim?" 

"As  soon  as  you  girls  can  manage  it,"  he  returned. 

"Oh,  glorious,"  cried  Lucile,  jumping  up  and  twirl- 
ing about  on  her  toes.  "Jessie,  can  you  do  your  shop- 
ping and  be  ready  in  a  week  ?" 

"I  can  but  try,"  Jessie  answered,  hopefully.  "I  can't 
really  tell,  until  I've  had  a  look  at  my  wardrobe — as 


A  Welcome  Summons  25 

it  were.  Oh,  didn't  you  say  something  about  a  couple 
of  other  girls,  Jim,"  she  added.  "What  did  you 
mean?" 

"Why,  Mrs.  Wescott  says  the  cottage  she  has  in 
mind  will  accommodate  four  beside  herself.  So  you 
can  ask  any  one  you  want." 

"Urn,"  said  Lucile,  sitting  on  the  arm  of  Jessie's 
chair  and  trying  to  look  thoughtful.  "Evelyn,  of 
course,  and  who's  the  other  one.  Oh,  I  know — Mar- 
jorie  Hanlon.  We  four  girls  have  been  so  busy  gradu- 
ating this  spring  that  we  haven't  had  time  to  even 
think  of  the  summer,"  she  explained  to  Jim,  who 
smiled  understandingly. 

"Oh,  say,  won't  we  have  a  good  time  ?"  Jessie  cried, 
leaning  forward  excitedly,  while  her  eyes  shone  with 
anticipation.  "Lucy,  you're  a  wonder  to  think  of 
Marj — she's  lots  of  fun." 

"Well,  this  seems  to  leave  us  pretty  well  out  of  it," 
Phil  objected.  "Haven't  you  any  pangs  of  conscience 
about  deserting  us  for  a  whole  summer?" 

"None  whatever,"  said  Jessie,  unmoved.  "From 
remarks  and  hints  you  have  let  drop  from  time  to  time 
I  should  judge  you  would  get  on  better  without  us." 

"I  wish  you'd  stop  fooling  once  in  a  while,"  he  said, 


26  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

with  unexpected  solemnity.  "It's  no  joke  for  a  fellow 
to  be  robbed  of  your  knocks  for  a  whole  summer. 
Why,  when  you  come  back  none  of  my  old  hats  will 
fit  me." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  I'm  some  use  in  the  world,  any- 
way," retorted  Jessie  irrepressibly.  "As  long  as  I  can 
keep  your  head  down  to  normal  size  I  won't  feel  as 
though  my  life  had  been  entirely  wasted."  And  so 
delightfully  did  the  hours  pass  in  blissful  and  excited 
anticipation  of  joys  to  come  that  the  fire  died  out  un- 
noticed, and  they  were  only  recalled  to  thoughts  of 
the  present  by  Mrs.  Payton's  voice  at  the  door  in  mild 
reproof. 

"Do  you  children  know  what  time  it  is?"  she  asked 
so  suddenly  that  they  started  and  turned  around.  "The 
clock  just  struck  half-past  eleven.  The  guest  room  is 
ready  and  I  think  you  had  all  better  go  up  now.  Good 
night,"  and  Mrs.  Payton  went  on  upstairs. 

"Eleven-thirty,"  cried  Phil,  taking  out  his  watch 
to  verify  the  time.  "No  wonder  the  fire's  going  down. 
You're  going  to  stay  to-night,  aren't  you,  Jessie?"  he 
asked. 

"Yes,"  she  laughed.  "When  I  'phoned  mother  to  ask 
her  it  I  might,  she  suggested  sending  my  trunk  over — 


27 

said  that  as  long  as  I  lived  here  most  of  the  time, 
anyway,  I  might  as  well  have  all  the  conveniences !" 

"The  idea,"  Lucile  defended.  "I  guess  you  don't 
stay  over  night  here  any  more  than  I  do  at  your 
house.  There  are  advantages  in  having  two  houses — 
sometimes  I  wonder  which  I  really  belong  to — the 
Payton's  or  the  Sanderson's." 

"Well,  you're  a  Payton  to-night,  all  right,"  Phil 
interrupted,  adding  practically,  "and  if  you  don't  go 
upstairs  pretty  soon  you  won't  feel  like  much  of  any- 
thing in  the  morning!" 

For  a  long  time  after  the  girls  had  slipped  in  bed 
that  night  they  talked  delightedly  of  the  wonderful 
turn  affairs  had  taken,  and  it  was  not  till  the  hands  of 
the  little  old  clock  were  pointing  close  to  one  that  they 
finally  settled  down  to  sleep. 

Suddenly  Jessie  sat  bolt  upright  in  bed,  bringing 
Lucile  back  from  the  land  of  dreams  with  a  jolt. 

"Lucy,"  she  cried.  "What  did  Jim  say  the  name 
of  that  place  was?" 

"Oh— I  don't  know,"  said  Lucile,  half  asleep.  "It 
was  something  like — Van — Tenny — Tanike — that  was 
it." 

"I  thought  so."     There  was  something  in  Jessie's 


28  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

voice  that  caused  her  friend  to  turn  over  and  look  at 
her  in  surprise.  "Lucy,"  she  said,  in  awed  tones, 
"that's  the  very  place  where  Aunt  Emma  and  Jack 
have  their  summer  cottage.  Oh,  what  fun!" 

"We  ought  to  have  a  good  time,"  Lucile  agreed, 
while  she  smiled  to  herself  in  the  dark.  Jessie  could 
not  be  expected  to  know  that  in  a  letter  Lucile  had 
received  from  Jack  that  very  morning  the  latter  had 
announced  his  firm  intention  of  running  away  from 
Tanike,  where  he  and  his  family  went  each  summer, 
and  making  Burleigh  a  visit — for  one  reason,  and  one 
only! 

But  somehow  Lucile  was  strangely  reticent  in  mat- 
ters concerning  Jack,  and  besides — she  need  not  tell 
everything  she  knew ! 


CHAPTER  III 

GOOD    NEWS    TRAVELS    FAST 

LUCILE  yawned  luxuriously  and  turned  over,  to 
find  Jessie's  gaze  fixed  upon  her  with  dreamy  serenity. 

"Hello,  what  are  you  doing  awake  so  early?"  she 
demanded,  surprised  into  wide  wakefulness.  "I 
thought  I  should  have  to  shake  you  out  of  bed.  Good- 
ness, last  night  seems  like  a  dream,  doesn't  it?" 

"That's  why  I  woke  up  early,  I  guess,"  her  friend 
agreed.  "I  was  afraid  it  might  vanish  into  thin  air 
when  the  sun  came  up." 

"What — the  night?  inquired  Lucile,  slyly.  "Even 
I  can  relieve  your  mind  on  that  point " 

"Oh,  Lucy,  you're  such  a  goose,"  sighed  Jessie,  pity- 
ingly, then,  assuming  a  dramatic  attitude — which,  it 
must  be  confessed,  was  a  very  difficult  feat,  under  the 
circumstances — she  added,  with  a  sob  in  her  voice. 
"But  I  love  you — strange  as  it  may  seem — I  love 
you " 

"Just  the  same,  you  needn't  prove  it  by  hitting  me 


30  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

in  the  eye,"  complained  the  object  of  her  affections, 
rubbing  the  assaulted  eye  ruefully.  "If  it's  out,  I  give 
you  fair  warning  you  will  have  to  get  me  a  new  one." 

"Don't  you  fret,"  said  Jessie,  reassuringly.  "I  saw 
some  be-autiful  ones  in  Caner's  window  the  other 
day — they  look  better  than  live  ones,  really  they  do, 
some  live  ones  anyway." 

"Live  ones!  Anybody  would  think  you  were  talk- 
ing of  stuffed  cats  or  something  like  that.  Jessie,  if 
you  go  pulling  off  those  covers  any  more,  I  give  you 
fair  warning,  you'll  have  to  make  the  bed.  As  Mary 
would  say,  'Ain't  you  got  no  consideration  at  all,  Miss 
Jessie?'" 

"Consideration,"  Jessie  repeated,  soberly  regarding 
the  wreck  and  ruin  she  had  wronght.  "Why,  I'm  full 
of  it.  Just  watch.  Don't  say  anything — you  might 
frighten  that  retreating  counterpane,"  and  indeed  the 
last-mentioned  article  of  bed  covering  seemed  to  be 
holding  on  by  its  eyelids,  as  it  were,  to  watch  develop- 
ments. "You  need  strategy  in  such  cases,"  she  ex- 
plained, slipping  out  of  bed  and  advancing  on  her  tip 
toes.  "Now,  just  watch  me  surround  it,"  and  with 
the  words  she  pounced  upon  the  unoffending  coverlet 
from  the  back  and  threw  it  up  upon  the  bed  with  the 


Good  News  Travels  Fast  31 

air  of  one  having  behaved  very  creditably  in  a  tight 
place. 

Lucile  continued  to  gaze  upon  her  with  the  contem- 
plative gaze  of  one  studying  a  very  interesting  subject 
while  Jessie's  expression  changed  from  one  of  entire 
satisfaction  to  one  of  anxiety  and  not  a  little  alarm. 

"Lucy,"  she  whispered,  taking  a  seat  on  the  edge 
of  the  bed  and  leaning  forward  confidentially.  "Do 
you  think  I  really  will  get  over  it?  Is  there  any  hope 
at  all?" 

Lucile  jumped  out  of  bed  and  hugged  her  friend 
ecstatically.  "None  whatever,"  she  chuckled.  "You 
will  always  be  crazy,  and  if  you  ever  get  over  it  I 
won't  love  you  any  more  at  all.  Now  hurry  up  and 
get  dressed,  because  I'm  hungry — oh,  how  hungry  I 
am!"  and  she  sniffed  the  air  longingly. 

"Let's  go  over  and  tell  Evelyn  and  Marj  right  after 
breakfast,"  Jessie  proposed,  as  she  prepared  to  follow 
Lucile's  suggestion.  "I'm  sure  Evelyn  will  be  crazy 
to  go,  but  I'm  not  so  sure  about  Marjorie — her  people 
are  very  strict  about  letting  her  go  away  without 
them." 

"Well,  so  are  yours  and  mine  under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances," said  Lucile,  brushing  her  curls  vigor- 


82  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

ously.  "But  when  our  guardian  is  with  us  they  would 
let  us  go  anywhere,  I  think.  Mighty  good  judgment, 
too,"  she  added,  decidedly. 

"Well,  I  don't  suppose  there  will  be  any  trouble 
about  it,"  Jessie  agreed  thoughtfully,  "only  —  say, 
Lucy,"  she  cried,  eagerly.  "Wouldn't  it  be  great  if 


"If  what,"  Lucile  prompted,  slipping  into  her  fresh 
little  morning  dress  —  which  was  blue  and  very  becom- 
ing. "Tell  me  what  you're  thinking  about  and  I'll  tell 
you  some  ideas  of  mine.  Oh,  dear  —  Jessie,  will  you 
please  get  that  button  out  of  my  hair?  Of  course, 
it  had  to  catch  just  where  I  couldn't  get  at  it.  That's 
fine  —  thanks.  Now  go  on  -  " 

"Why,  I  was  thinking,  that  when  Jack  hears  of  our 
plans  hj  would  be  more  than  likely  to  invite  the 
boys  -  " 

"Meaning  Jim  and  Phil,  I  suppose,"  interjected 
Lucile. 

"Of  course  —  don't  you  see?  Aunt  Edna,  Jack's 
mother,  has  more  room  in  her  cottage  than  she  knows 
what  to  do  with,  and  she  loves  lots  of  company.  So 
what  would  be  more  natural  -  " 

"Than  to  invite  the  whole  family?"  Lucile  laughed. 


Good  News  Travels  Fast  33 

"It  would  be  fine,  but  remember  we  haven't  received 
any  invitation  yet.  Goodness,  Phil  would  be  in  the 
seventh  heaven  of  delight!" 

Jessie  flushed.  "Well,  Jack  would  be  in  the  eighth, 
then,"  she  retorted.  "When  did  you  hear  from  him 
last,  Lucy?  Come,  'fess  up." 

Very  deliberately  Lucile  took  a  rose  from  the 
bouquet  she  had  picked  the  day  before  and  pinned  it, 
still  more  deliberately  against  the  soft  blue  of  her 
dress,  and  when  she  turned  to  Jessie,  the  latter  thought 
that  the  rose  lost  by  comparison  with  its  wearer. 
Lucile  was  like  some  beautifully  tinted  flower  herself, 
and  just  as  sweet. 

"It  isn't  fair  to  ask  things  so  point  blank,  Jessie 
dear,  she  argued.  "Here  let  me  do  that  for  you — 
is  it  too  tight?" 

"Just  right,  thanks,"  Jessie  answered,  then,  fixing 
a  severe  eye  upon  Lucile,  who  had  heated  herself  on 
the  edge  of  the  bed,  she  added:  "You  needn't  think 
you  can  slip  out  of  answering  like  that,  young  lady. 
I  think  you  might  tell  me  something  about  Jack  once 
in  a  while,  anyway.  Just  think  how  hard  it  is  to 
have  to  depend  on  you  for  news  of  my  only  beloved 
cousin."  This  last  was  a  wail  that  might  have  touched 


34  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

the  hardest  heart,  but  Lucile  remained  unmoved  by 
the  appeal. 

"Just  think  how  much  harder  it  must  be  for  me  to 
have  to  depend  on  you  for  news  of  my  only  beloved 
brother,"  she  reasoned.  "I  really  believe  you  know 
lots  more  about  Phil  than  I  do." 

"Oh,"  said  Jessie,  and  for  once  could  think  of  noth- 
ing to  say. 

A  loud  thump  on  the  door  startled  them  at  this  criti- 
cal moment,  and  a  voice  cried  out  in  stentorian  tones. 
"Come  on  down,  you  girls.  Mary  says  everything's 
getting  cold,  and  if  you  don't  come  down  pretty  soon 
we're  going  to  eat  anyway." 

"You're  perfectly  welcome  to  eat  anyway,"  Jessie 
retorted,  coaxing  her  pretty  hair  into  place.  "We'll 
take  the  bacon  and  eggs." 

"Humph,"  grunted  Phil.  "You  think  you're  funny, 
but  all  your  humor  won't  bring  back  the  eggs  when 
once  we've  been  put  in  the  same  room  with  them." 

"Goodness,  you  sound  funereal,  Phil,"  laughed  his 
sister.  "Don't  worry  about  us — we're  all  ready  to 
come  down  now " 

"That  sounds  good,"  Phil  was  saying,  gloomily, 
when  the  door  flew  open  and  two  laughing  young 


Good  News  Travels  Fast  35 

persons  flung  themselves  upon  him  and  hustled  him 
to  the  head  of  the  stairs. 

"Give  you  a  race  to  the  dining  room,"  Jessie  chal- 
lenged, and  they  tumbled  down  the  stairs,  nearly  run- 
ning over  Jim  at  the  bottom. 

"Gangway,"  cried  Phil,  brushing  the  astonished  Jim 
aside.  "Gangway  for  the  Marathon  runners." 

Phil  reached  the  doorway  about  two  seconds  before 
the  girls,  and  they  all  leaned  up  against  the  casement, 
laughingly  gasping  for  breath. 

"No,  this  isn't  an  insane  asylum,  Jim,"  Lucile  as- 
sured him,  as  he  joined  the  group.  "It  ought  to  be,  but 
it  isn't  yet.  Let's  go  in  and  find  what  they  feed  the 
inmates." 

After  breakfast  the  girls  excused  themselves  to  Jim, 
whom  Phil  was  very  anxious  to  show  about  town,  and 
raced  off  to  find  Marjorie  and  Evelyn. 

Most  of  the  girls  in  the  Camp-fire  Aloea  had  made 
plans  for  the  summer — for  it  was  nearing  the  middle 
of  July — but,  as  Jessie  had  said,  the  remaining  four — 
Lucile,  Jessie,  Marjorie  and  Evelyn — had  been  so  busy 
graduating  from  Burleigh  High  in  June  that  all  other 
matters  had  been  relegated  to  the  background. 

Since  its  organization  two  years  before,  the  Camp- 


36  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

fire  Aloea  had  grown  and  spread  till  its  influence  was 
felt  all  over  Burleigh,  and  the  girls  had  cherished  a 
secret  hope  that  some  summer,  sooner  or  later,  they 
would  be  able  to  get  together  the  entire  membership, 
and  spend  another  glorious  summer  like  that  first  one 
in  camp.  The  .newer  members  never  tired  of  hearing 
the  glowing  accounts  of  their  experiences  from  the 
older  girls,  and  the  latter  often  longed  to  renew  them. 
Perhaps,  sometime 

After  their  interesting  and  exciting  summer  in  Eu- 
rope the  year  before,  Lucile  and  her  chums  had  given 
up  all  hope  of  having  anything  like  so  good  a  time 
this  summer,  and  then,  just  as  they  had  resigned  them- 
selves to  the  inevitable,  had  come  this  wonderful  pros- 
pect. As  the  two  friends  made  their  way,  arm  in  arm 
down  the  street,  they  could  have  danced  with  the  very 
happiness  of  it. 

"It's  good  the  girls  are  used  to  early  morning  calls," 
Lucile  was  saying  ruefully.  "Otherwise,  they  might 
think  we  had  bad  news." 

"Oh,  it  seems  as  if  there  couldn't  be  any  bad  news 
on  a  day  like  this,"  cried  Jessie,  fairly  basking  in  the 
warm  sunshine  of  the  summer  morning.  "Everything 
— even  the  houses — look  happy." 


37 

"Oh,  when  summer  comes,  I  always  feel — skittish," 
said  Lucile,  executing  a  little  sidestep  to  prove  her 
contention.  "I  just  feel  like  singing  all  the  time." 

"Well,  don't  let  me  stop  you,"  Jessie  invited,  mag- 
nanimously. "If  it  makes  you  feel  any  better  I  guess 
I  can  stand  it." 

"Oh,  Jessie,  I  just  thought,"  cried  Lucile,  stopping 
short  in  the  street  and  gazing  upon  her  friend  with 
incredulous  eyes.  "We  never  asked  about  Jeddie." 

Jeddie,  the  little  black,  silken-haired  water  spaniel, 
was  considered  in  the  light  of  a  mascot  by  the  camp- 
fire  girls  and  had  taken  a  very  active  part  in  their 
adventures  at  camp  two  years  before.  Naturally  they 
took  a  very  deep  interest  in  the  little  fellow,  and  had 
often  declared  that  if  it  ever  should  be  their  good  for- 
tune to  spend  another  summer  like  that  first  one,  Jed- 
die must  be  there  with  his  cocked  ears  and  intelligent 
eyes  to  complete  the  "family"  circle. 

"That  is  funny,"  Jessie  admitted.  "And  we've  won- 
dered so  much  about  him,  too.  Come  on,  Lucy,  you're 
blocking  the  highway,  and  there's  Evelyn  waving  at 
us.  Don't  let's  tell  her  till  we  get  to  Marjorie's."  she 
added,  wickedly. 

"Of  course  not,  although  she's  apt  to  die  of  sus- 


38  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

pense,"  Lucile  agreed,  and  next  minute  Evelyn  ran 
up  to  them. 

"Hello,  I  was  just  coming  over  to  your  house, 
Lucy,"  said  the  latter,  a  short,  round,  merry  little  per- 
son, who  was  continually  at  good-natured  odds  with 
Jessie.  "What  do  you  look  so  mysterious  and  happy 
about  ?  Anything  happened  ?" 

"Do  you  know  what  once  happened  to  Ruth  thro' 
being  too  curious?"  Jessie  answered,  with  another 
question.  "Well,  take  warning." 

Evelyn  looked  helplessly  from  one  to  the  other,  and 
Lucile  came  to  her  rescue.  "We'll  tell  you  all  about 
it  just  as  soon  as  we  get  to  Marjorie's,"  she  promised. 
Let's  hurry — the  sooner  we  get  there,  the  sooner  you 
will  hear  about  it,"  with  which  philosophic  assertion 
Evelyn  was  forced  to  be  content. 

They  found  Marjorie  in  the  big  couch  swing  on  the 
porch,  busily,  but  unromantically,  darning  some  stock- 
ings— that  was  part  of  the  camp  fire  training — and  she 
rose  delightedly  when  they  ran  up  on  the  porch. 

"Oh,  I'm  glad  to  see  you,"  she  greeted.  "If  you 
have  nothing  else  to  do,  suppose  you  darn  some  of 
these,"  indicating  the  imposing  pile  of  hosiery.  "If 
somebody  doesn't  help,  I'll  never  get  through." 


Good  News  Travels  Fast  39 

"Well,  you  shouldn't  wear  so  many  holes  in  them," 
Jessie  was  beginning  when  Evelyn  interrupted,  ex- 
citedly. 

"Don't  let  them  side  track  you,  Marj,"  she  cried. 
"They  have  something  to  tell  us,  and  I  vote  we  get  to 
the  point  right  now." 

"Second  the  motion,"  agreed  Marjorie,  laying  down 
the  stocking  and  looking  at  them  expectantly.  She 
was  a  tall,  dark,  fine-looking  girl,  who,  although  she 
could  be  energetic  enough  at  times,  seldom  gave  the 
impression  of  being  in  a  hurry.  What  she  said  was 
often  quite  to  the  point,  and  often  a  little  too  frank; 
but  the  girls  knew  and  liked  her,  and  took  her  remarks 
good-naturedly — valuing  them  at  their  true  worth. 
"Go  ahead,  Lucy.  What  wonderful  thing  are  you 
people  going  to  do  now  ?" 

"You  should  have  changed  that  'you  people'  to 
'we,' '  Lucile  corrected  her,  and  then  launched  into 
her  tale  with  all  the  vim  and  native  enthusiasm  of 
which  she  was  capable — which  was  saying  a  great  deal. 
When  she  had  finished,  the  girls  sat  breathless  for  a 
minute  or  so,  trying,  as  Evelyn  explained  afterward, 
"to  let  it  sink  in." 

"Oh,  the  fun  we'll  have,"  breathed  Marjorie  at  last, 


40  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

her  eyes  fixed  dreamily  on  nothing  in  particular  but 
beaming  happily. 

"Lucile,  tell  me  just  one  more  thing — when  do  we 
start?" 

"Next  Saturday — if  you  can  make  it,"  was  the  an- 
swer. 

"Make  it,"  Evelyn  echoed.  "Just  listen  to  her — if 
we  can  make  it!" 


CHAPTER  IV 

GATHERING   OF  THE   CLANS 

THE  next  few  days  were  full  of  excitement  and  in- 
terest for  the  four  eager  girls.  They  shopped  and 
sewed  and  packed  and  ran  over  for  little  hurried  con- 
sultations with  other  girls  they  knew,  until  at  the  end 
of  the  long  days  they  were  glad  to  slip  into  their  snowy 
beds  and  rest  tired  young  muscles  for  the  wear  and 
tear  of  another  sixteen  hours.  Oh,  well,  what  did  it 
matter — in  less  time  than  seemed  within  the  bounds 
of  possibility  they  would  see  their  guardian,  be  actual 
guests  in  that  New  York  home,  which,  a  few  days 
before  had  seemed  so  incredibly  far  away !  What  did 
all  the  work  amount  to  when  one  thought  of  that? 

"Well,  by  to-night  I  ought  to  be  all  through,"  Mar- 
jorie  announced  triumphantly,  seating  herself  on  the 
edge  of  Lucile's  bed. 

Lucile  paused,  with  her  needle  held  at  an  inquiring 
angle.  "That's  splendid,"  she  approved.  "When  I've 
put  the  hem  in  this  creation  and  adjusted  the  girdle 
in  the  right  place,  I  ought  to  be  just  about  finished — 


42  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

except  for  a  little  bit  of  packing  that  has  to  be  done 
at  the  last  minute.  Did  you  get  everything  you 
wanted  ?"  she  added,  centering  her  attention  once  more 
on  the  fluffy  bit  of  pinkness  that  she  called  a  dress. 

Marjorie  put  her  hands  behind  her  head  and  dream- 
ily considered  Lucile's  last  question.  "If  I  had,"  she 
answered,  thoughtfully,  "I  should  be  riding  around 
in  a  limousine,  upholstered  in  claret  red,  with  Ameri- 
can beauties  strewn  all  over — and,  a  chauffeur  in  gor- 
geous livery  with  silver  buttons,"  she  added. 

"Goodness,  is  that  all  you  want?"  twinkled  Lucile," 
whose  laughing  eyes  answered  the  gleam  in  Marjorie's. 
"I  think  you're  extremely  moderate.  Why  don't  you 
add  a  mansion  on  Riverside  Drive  near  our  guardian, 
with  an  imposing,  fat  old  butler  like  Margaret's  But- 
tons— then  you'd  really  have  something." 

"I'd  have  come  to  all  that  if  you  had  given  me 
time,"  Marjorie  asserted.  "Only  I'd  never  be  able 
to  get  a  butler  like  Buttons — they  don't  make  that 
brand  any  more." 

Lucile  chuckled,  while  her  fingers  flew  through  the 
soft  fabric.  "I  guess  you're  right,"  she  admitted.  "I 
think  I  can  see  where  he  would  be  a  money-making 
proposition,  though." 


Gathering  of  the  Clans  48 

Marjorie  was  frankly  puzzled.  "I  can  see  how  he 
would  be  a  money-making  proposition,"  she  objected. 
"But  I  can't  see  where  the  other  comes  in." 

"Well,"  said  Lucile,  breaking  off  her  thread  and 
shaking  out  the  dainty  mass  of  silk  and  lace.  "Do  you 
see  any  sense  in  paying  good  money  to  see  a  play  when 
you  have  a  complete,  walking  circus  in  the  house  with 
you?" 

Marjorie  laughed  appreciatively.  "There  is  some 
sense  in  that,"  she  admitted,  "alhough  I  never  thought 
of  the  dignified  gentleman  in  just  that  way  before.  I 
hardly  think  he  plays  the  role  of  professional  enter- 
tainer intentionally,  though,  do  you?" 

"Perish  the  thought,"  Lucile  denied,  then  added, 
whimsically.  "That's  just  what  makes  him  so  funny — 
he  doesn't  know  he  is!" 

"If  Buttons  could  only  hear  us  now,"  laughed  Mar- 
jorie, then  added,  more  seriously.  "But  I'm  sorry 
Judge  Stillman  has  decided  to  take  Margaret  out  West 
with  him.  Peggy's  crazy  to  go  with  us,  even  though 
she'd  die  before  she  would  let  her  father  so  much  as 
suspect  it." 

"Margaret's  a  loyal  little  thing,"  Lucile  agreed, 
while  an  unusually  tender  note  crept  into  her  voice. 


44  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

"Once  you  gain  her  affection  you  can  be  sure  of  it 
always." 

"And  the  judge,"  Marjorie  added.  "Have  you  no- 
ticed him  follow  her  with  his  eyes  whenever  she's 
around  where  he  is?  Why,  I  believe  he  worships  the 
child." 

"Well,  I  don't  blame  him,"  said  Lucile,  thoughtfully. 
"Everybody  loves  her — and  I  don't  believe  she  has  an 
enemy  in  the  world.  Her  sort  never  do." 

"And  that  story  of  hers,"  Marjorie  added,  after  a 
short  pause,  during  which  Lucile's  needle  plied  stead- 
ily— in  and  out.  "You  remember — about  the  girl 
whose  brother  ran  away  from  home  when  he  was  just 
a  little  thing  and  hasn't  been  heard  of  since?  That 
was  a  pitiful  story." 

"It  was,"  Lucile  agreed.  "I  wish  we  could  do  some- 
thing to  help  that  girl.  I  know  what  it  would  be  to 
have  Phil  disappear." 

"Margaret  said  her  father  is  doing  his  best  to  find 
the  boy  for  his  sister's  sake — wouldn't  it  be  wonderful 
if  they  could?" 

The  girls  were  silent  for  a  few  moments  while  their 
young  faces  sobered  thoughtfully,  and  their  merry  eyes 
grew  grave  and  tender  with  the  memory  of  that  sum- 


Gathering  of  the  Clans  45 

mer  two  years  ago,  when  little  Margaret  Stillman, 
crippled  and  miserably  unhappy,  yet  patient  as  only 
the  afflicted  can  be,  had  slowly  come  into  her  heritage 
of  happy  normal  girlhood.  And  the  most  wonderful 
thing  of  all  had  been  the  unshakable  conviction  of  the 
judge,  and  the  great  physicians  who  had  attended 
the  little  lame  girl,  that  the  marvelous  cure  had  been 
brought  about  by  the  girls  themselves.  Of  course,  the 
exercise  in  camp,  the  free,  outdoor  life  and  the  merry 
companionship  of  girls  her  own  age  might  have  had 
something  to  do  with  it — this  the  girls  admitted — but 
that  the  full  credit  should  have  been  given  to  them — 
well,  it  was  very  good  of  the  doctors,  but  the  assertion 
was  palpably  none  the  less  ridiculous.  After  all  what 
did  it  matter — what  did  anything  matter  as  long  as 
Margaret,  dear  little,  unselfish,  loving  Margaret,  had 
been  made  like  other  girls!  It  seemed  as  though  a 
miracle  had  been  wrought. 

"Yes,  I  wish  we  could  have  had  her  with  us  this 
summer,"  Lucile  was  saying.  "I  know  she'd  enjoy  the 
seashore — anybody  who  came  from  an  inland  place 
like  Burleigh  would  be  sure  to." 

"Well,  there's  no  use  crying  for  what  we  can't 
have,"  said  Marjorie,  philosophically.  "Do  you  want 


46  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

me  to  pin  the  girdle  on  for  you  before  I  go?"  she 
added.  "It  will  make  it  lots  easier." 

"Oh,  Marjorie,  I'll  love  you  forever,  if  you  only 
will,"  Lucile  accepted  gratefully.  "One  of  a  dress* 
maker's  great  drawbacks,"  she  added,  as  Marjorie 
slipped  the  little  gown  over  her  head.  "Is  the  lack  of 
eyes  in  the  back  of  her  head.  Thanks,  Marjie — I 
made  it  fit  pretty  well,  didn't  I."  This  last  with  par- 
donable pride. 

"You're  a  wonder,"  said  Marjorie,  fervently.  "It's 
a  dream,  Lucy,  and  awfully  becoming.  I  don't  see 
how  you  ever  managed  to  finish  it  in  such  a  short  time. 
I  had  to  buy  most  of  my  things." 

"So  did  I,"  answered  Lucile,  regarding  her  handi- 
work critically.  "But  I  had  just  this  sort  of  a  dress 
in  mind  for  a  long  time,  and  when  I  found  I  couldn't 
get  anything  like  it  in  the  stores,  I  thought  I'd  take  a 
chance  on  making  it.  I  really  hadn't  great  hopes  of 
finishing  it,  though,"  she  confessed. 

"Well,  you  have  and  its  a  darling.  I  suppose  you 
want  the  girdle  high."  Marjorie  held  the  belt  in  posi- 
tion and  glanced  at  Lucile  inquiringly. 

"Yes,  just  as  you  have  it,"  Lucile  nodded,  then 
added  triumphantly.  "And  when,  that's  done,  a  half 


Gathering  of  the  Clans  47 

hour  more  of  packing  and — hurrah  for  New 
York'" 

"If  you  don't  stand  still,"  said  Marjorie  severely, 
"I'll  stick  this  pin  in  where  it  doesn't  belong,  and  I  give 
you  fair  warning  it  won't  feel  good,"  with  which 
Lucile  obediently  subsided. 

That  evening  Phil  unexpectedly  called  a  gathering 
of  the  clans.  The  girls  had  been  too  absorbed  in  their 
own  preparations  to  notice  that  both  he  and  Jim  had 
worn  an  air  of  profound  mystery  that  at  any  other 
time  would  have  aroused  their  curiosity  at  the  start. 
But  as  it  was,  the  summons  caught  them  unprepared, 
and  they  hurried  to  the  meeting  place,  which  was  on 
Lucile's  porch,  in  an  extremely  puzzled  frame  of  mind. 
Only  Jessie  had  seemed  to  guess  the  reason,  and  she 
had  been  as  silent  and  unsatisfactory  as  a  clam — or 
so  Evelyn  had  petulantly  described  her.  Oh,  well,  be- 
fore very  long  they  would  all  know  the  secret,  what- 
ever it  was,  and  with  this  thought  in  mind,  they 
quickened  the  pace  still  more. 

"Hello,  I'm  glad  you  got  here  so  early,"  Lucile 
greeted  gaily  as  they  mounted  the  steps.  "Jim  and 
Phil  just  started  out  to  see  if  they  could  round  you  up 
and  get  you  here  in  a  hurry." 


48  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Well,  the  joke's  on  them  this  time,"  Jessie  re- 
marked, in  evident  enjoyment  of  the  fact.  "They  can 
never  get  over  the  foolish  idea  that  girls  are  slow " 

'"Even  though  they  have  such  shining  examples  of 
energy,  before  their  very  eyes,"  Marjorie  twinkled. 
"Oh,  well,  I  suppose  we'll  have  to  bear  with  their 
stupidity." 

"We  can't  live  with  them  and  we  can't  live  without 
them,"  chanted  Lucile,  when  they  were  startled  by  the 
sudden  apparition  of  the  missing  ones. 

"What's  this  you  can't  live  without?"  Phil  de- 
manded, as  they  swung  themselves  up  over  the  railing 
with  scant  ceremony. 

"Oh,  not  much,"  Lucile  answered,  sweetly,  and  the 
girls  chuckled  their  appreciation. 

"Well,  since  that's  the  case,  we  don't  want  to  know," 
Phil  retorted  with  dignity.  "Come  on,  Jim,"  take  a 
seat  in  the  happy  circle,"  he  invited.  "You  needn't 
be  afraid  of  the  girls,  they  won't  bite." 

Jim  flushed  with  embarrassment — even  in  the  half 
light.  Lucile  was  quick  to  see  that — and  hastened  to 
put  him  at  his  ease. 

"Take  this  chair,  Jim,"  she  invited.  "It's  the  most 
comfortable  one  on  the  porch,  and  anybody's  lucky  to 
get  in  before  Phil." 


Gathering  of  the  Clans  49 

"I  notice  you  don't  offer  him  a  seat  in  the  swing," 
Phil  grumbled.  "You  girls  grab  the  most  comfortable 
seats  and  then  find  fault  with  me." 

"Grab?"  Jessie  remonstrated  with  uplifted  eye- 
brows. "I'm  sure  you  must  be  mistaken,  Phil — we 
never  did  anything  so  undignified." 

"If  you  will  make  room  for  me  in  the  swing,"  Phil 
evaded,  "I  may  consent  to  argue  the  point " 

"Phil,  you  ought  to  have  been  a  lawyer,"  said  Mar- 
jorie,  admiringly.  "You  surely  missed  your  vocation." 

"Well,  of  course  I  always  knew  I  had  some  small 
talent  along  that  line,"  he  answered,  in  a  deprecatingly 
modest  tone  of  voice.  "But  the  crimes  of  the  vulgar 
were  so  exceedingly  distasteful  to  one  of  my " 

"Sweet  little  makeup,"  Jessie  finished,  disgustedly. 
"Phil,  if  you  don't  stop  that  maundering  I'm  going 
home." 

"No,  you're  not,"  declared  the  lord  of  the  manor, 
with  so  much  decision  in  his  tone  that  Jessie  looked 
at  him  with  interest.  "You're  going  to  sit  right  where 
you  are  till  I  get  through  telling  you  what  I've  got  to 
tell,  and  for  the  simple  reason  that  I'm  between  you 
and  the  only  means  of  exit.  That's  the  way  to  talk 
to  them,  eh,  Jim?"  he  added,  turning  for  commenda- 
tion to  his  brother  in  arms. 


50  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

The  latter  was  laughing  amusedly.  Somehow,  Jim 
gave  the  impression  of  being  very  much  older  than 
he  really  was — perhaps  because  his  opportunities  for 
associating  with  young  folks  his  own  age  had  been  so 
exceedingly  few  and  far  between — perhaps  only  be- 
cause he  was  naturally  grave  and  reserved.  However, 
he  was  getting  to  feel  very  much  at  home  in  the  pres- 
ent company,  and  what  he  said  attested  to  that  fact. 
Jim  was  getting  on. 

"If  I  might  venture  to  suggest,  there  is  still  the  rail- 
ing," he  almost  drawled  the  words.  "Since  that's  the 
way  we  came  in,  it's  possible  the  girls  might  take 
that  way  to  get  out." 

"You're  a  genius,  Jim,"  Jessie  complimented  him. 
"Here  I  was  in  the  clutches  of  the  villain " 

"I  wish  you  were,"  Phil  remarked,  gloomily,  and  the 
girls  laughed  at  her  discomfiture. 

"There,  I  guess  that  will  do  you  for  some  little  time, 
Jessie,"  remarked  Evelyn  gaily.  "Now,  suppose  we 
call  a  truce  and  get  to  the  point  of  this  meeting." 

"That's  the  idea,"  Phil  commended.  "The  dark- 
ness groweth  apace  and  we  have  not  yet " 

"Phil,"  Lucile  placated,  and  he  held  up  a  soothing 
hand 


Gathering  of  the  Clans  51 

"Just  a  moment,  sweet  sister,"  he  went  on,  blandly. 
"As  I  was  saying,  the  darkness  groweth." 

"Choke  him,  somebody,"  cried  Jessie,  in  desperation. 
"Jim — you're  nearest " 

"Come  on,  one  and  all,"  Phil  challenged,  assuming 
a  sparring  attitude.  "I'm  ready — who's  first?  All 
right,  Lucy,"  he  went  on,  answering  a  look  in  his  sis- 
ter's eyes.  "I'm  coming  to  it  now.  You  see,  I've 
been  corresponding  off  and  on  with  Jack  Turnbull,  and 
I  happened  to  mention  in  my  last  letter  the  fact  that 
you  girls  were  going  to  spend  the  summer  at  the  same 
place  with  him.  Well,  I  received  an  answer  by  return 
mail  in  which  Jack  fairly  commanded  Jim  and  me 
to  put  up  at  their  bungalow — said  he  wouldn't  take  no 
for  an  answer — thought  we'd  have  all  kinds  of  fun — 
in  all  of  which  we  agreed  with  him,  eh,  Jim  ?" 

Jessie  shot  a  triumphant  glance  in  Lucile's  direction, 
but  the  latter  was  looking  steadily  at  Phil,  and  refused 
to  intercept  it — only  her  heightened  color  would  have 
given  her  away — had  there  been  light  enough  to  see. 

"Mrs.  Turnbull  was  kind  enough  to  enclose  a  per- 
sonal note,  seconding  Jack's  invitation,"  Phil  went  on. 
"So  all  things  considered,  we  decided  to  go  and  have 
a  good  time — even  though  we  had  begun  to  enjoy  the 


52  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

idea  of  a  summer  without  a  lot  of  girls  fussing 
around " 

"Is  that  so?"  Jessie  interrupted.  "It  sems  to  me 
you  change  your  mind  pretty  often.  Why,  just  the 
other  day  you  were  mourning  over  being  left 
alone " 

"Oh,  well,  that  was  a  long  time  ago,"  Phil  argued. 
"Lots  can  happen  in  a  week." 

"So  it  seems,"  said  Lucile,  significantly,  then  added, 
dreamily.  "I'm  glad  you  boys  are  going — we'll  have 
a  wonderful  time.  Let's  just  imagine  we're  there  for 
a  time  and  think  of  all  the  things  we  can  do " 

The  following  of  this  last  suggestion  proved  so  fas- 
cinating that  it  was  late  when  the  girls  finally  disen- 
gaged themselves  from  the  swing  and  started  to  go. 

While  the  others  were  talking,  Jessie  seized  the  op- 
portunity to  get  Lucile  in  a  corner  and  look  her  over 
quizzically. 

"Tell  me  the  truth,  Lucy,"  she  commanded,  in  a 
whisper.  "Was  this  a  surprise  to  you,  or — did  you 
know  it  all  the  time  ?" 

Lucile  hesitated  a  moment,  then  her  laughing  gaze 
met  Jessie's  severe  one.  "If  I  tell  you  a  big,  big  secret, 
will  you  promise  never  to  tell?"  she  whispered. 


Gathering  of  the  Clans  53 

"On  my  honor,"  the  answer  was  solemn  enough  to 
convince  a  judge. 

"Well,  then,  I  received  a  letter — the  day  before  yes- 
terday." 

The  reply  might  have  seemed  baffling  to  one  less 
discerning  than  Jessie,  but — well,  she  understood ! 


CHAPTER  V 

BRIGHTENING   SKIES 

THIS  was  the  day !  Lucile  lay  with  closed  eyes,  en- 
joying the  sense  of  utter  relaxation  that  comes  when 
consciousness  has  not  fully  asserted  itself — the  space 
between  sleeping  and  waking  when  one  stores  up  a 
great  amount  of  reserve  vitality  to  counteract  the  strain 
of  a  strenuous  day.  Oh,  it  was  delicious  just  to  lie 
there  and  plan  and — what  was  that — could  it  be  ? — oh, 
it  couldn't " 

But  it  was!  The  rain  had  started,  gently  at  first, 
then  with  more  violence,  till  it  spattered  in  vindictive 
needle  points  against  the  windows  and  showered  in- 
sistently upon  the  sun-parched  ground.  The  landscape 
was  dreary  and  leaden — not  at  all  the  sort  to  start  an 
optimistic  party  of  young  folks  on  their  way  to  a 
summer's  fun. 

"Oh,  why  couldn't  it  have  waited  just  one  more 
week?"  thought  Lucile,  in  rebellion  against  fate. 
"After  we  had  reached  the  seashore  it  wouldn't  have 
mattered  half  so  much.  Oh,  well,  I  suppose  we've 

54 


Brightening  Skies  55 

just  got  to  make  the  best  of  it.  "She  gave  one  more 
despairing  glance  at  the  unpromising  view,  and  then 
turned  resolutely  back  into  the  room. 

"I'll  be  a  regular  modern  Mark  Tapley,"  she  moral- 
ized. "The  worse  the  weather  gets  the  more  cheerful 
I'll  be.  Maybe  when  it  finds  out  I'm  not  going  to  get 
mad  about  it  the  rain  will  stop,"  with  which  happy 
thought  she  began  to  sing  defiantly. 

"Do  you  have  to  make  that  noise,  Lucy?"  asked  her 
brother's  voice  outside  the  door.  "If  you  do,  why  I'll 
try  to  stand  it " 

"Oh,  I  could  make  a  worse  one  than  that,"  promised 
Lucile,  cheerfully.  "Wait  a  minute — I'll  try  that  song 
that  goes  up  to  A,  I  think " 

"No,  you  don't,"  cried  Phil  in  a  panic.  "I'll  meet 
you  down-stairs,"  and  Lucile  laughed  at  his  retreating 
footsteps. 

Half  an  hour  later,  fully  dressed  and  humming  a 
merry  little  tune  to  herself,  she  came  upon  Jim  and 
Phil  dejectedly  discussing  the  weather  in  the  living 
room. 

"If  this  day  wouldn't  give  you  the  blues,  I'd  like  to 
know  what  would,"  Phil  was  saying,  disgustedly. 
"Nothing  but  rain,  rain,  rain — it's  as  bad  as  London." 


56  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

"Well,  there  are  lots  worse  places  than  London," 
said  Lucile,  so  close  behind  him  that  he  started.  "We 
managed  to  have  pretty  nice  times  there."  She  seated 
herself  on  the  arm  of  a  chair  and  smiled  a  cheery  good 
morning  to  them  both. 

"Well,  that  was  different,"  and  Phil,  doggedly  re- 
solved to  see  no  silver  lining  in  the  leaden  hued  clouds 
on  the  horizon,  turned  back  to  the  window.  "When 
the  rain  rained  in  London  there  was  some  novelty  in 
it,  but  here — well,  this  is  Burleigh." 

"Goodness,  I  wonder  what  would  happen,"  said 
Lucile,  slipping  into  the  chair  and  smiling  ruefully  at 
Jim.  "If  we  all  talked  like  that.  Let's  you  and  I 

start  Jim .  Oh,  there's  nothing  in  the  world 

worth  living  for — what  a  fib,  what  a  great  big  terrible 
fib!"  she  interrupted  herself,  springing  from  the  chair 
and  doing  a  sort  of  variated  little  two-step  over  to 
the  piano  bench.  "Just  think  of  it — 7  said  it — 7,  Lu- 
cile Payton — there's  nothing  to  live  for,  when  to-day 
we're  going  to  see  our  guardian  and  Mr.  Jack  Wescott 
and  little  old  Jeddie  and  oh — come  on  over  here,  you 
grumbly  old  curmudgeons  and  sing — sing  for  your 
lives!"  And  she  began  one  of  the  popular  airs,  play- 
ing it  with  so  much  vim  and  go  that  the  boys  found 


Brightening  Skies  57 

their  spirits  soaring  in  spite  of  themselves  and 
brightened  up. 

"That's  the  way,  Lucy — keep  it  up !"  cried  Phil,  glee- 
fully. "Jim  and  I  will  show  you  the  latest  version  of 
the  Congo  fox  trot."  And  poor  Jim,  realizing  the 
futility  of  protest,  was  whirled  off  in  a  series  of  most 
undignified  capers. 

It  was  in  the  midst  off  all  this  hubbub,  when  Lucile 
was  laughing  so  hard  she  could  scarcely  play  that 
Mary  sounded  the  breakfast  gong.  As  if  it  were  a 
signal,  Phil  released  his  gasping  partner,  lifted  Lucile 
from  the  bench  and  gently  but  firmly  propelled  her 
toward  the  dining  room. 

"Come  on,  Jim,"  he  shouted.  "Mary's  biscuits  can't 
be  kept  waiting,"  and  then  the  three  merrymakers  al- 
most ran  into  Mr.  Payton  as  he  came  through  the  hall. 

"Hello,"  he  exclaimed,  beaming  genially  upon  them ; 
"there's  enough  sunshine  inside  to  make  up  for  the 
lack  of  it  out." 

"Oh,  Lucile  would  make  a  Swedish  funeral  look  like 
a  maypole  dance,"  was  Phil's  admiring  comment. 

Whether  or  not  the  continued  good  cheer  in  the 
Payton  household  had  any  effect  upon  the  elements 
is  indeed  a  matter  of  conjecture  and  not  a  little  doubt. 


58  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

Be  that  as  it  may,  by  twelve  o'clock  there  was  a  decided 
change  in  the  outlook.  By  one,  the  rain  had  entirely 
stopped,  and  the  sun  showed  signs  of  breaking  through 
the  dissipating  masses  of  piled  up  clouds  that  had 
hidden  it  so  effectually  all  morning. 

Lucile  had  run  up  to  her  room  to  see  that  everything 
was  in  perfect  readiness  for  the  start,  and  now  she 
stood  looking  out  of  the  window,  a  little  uncertain 
just  what  to  do. 

"If  I  wear  my  good  things,"  she  mused.  "And  it 
does  rain  again,  then  I  will  get  caught.  But  it  cer- 
tainly looks  as  though  it  were  going  to  clear,"  and 
then,  as  though  to  reward  her  faith  in  it,  the  sun  shone 
forth  goldenly,  changing  the  world  from  a  misty, 
cheerless,  leaden  place,  to  one  of  infinite  beauty.  The 
trees  and  velvety  lawns  stood  out,  refreshed  and  vividly 
green,  while  golden  shafts  of  light  played  in  and  out 
among  the  shimmering  raindrops,  turning  them  to 
liquid  fire.  It  was  beautiful,  this  transformation,  and 
Lucile  cried  out  in  sheer  delight. 

"Oh,  I  knew  it,  I  knew  it,"  she  cried,  dancing  about 
the  room,  all  sunny  and  sparkling  like  the  raindrops 
themselves.  "I  knew  it  would  clear  if  we  only  kept 
on  hoping  hard  enough !  Now,  let's  see,  have  I  packed 


Brightening  Skies  59 

everything,"  and  this  momentous  question  occupied  her 
attention  for  some  time  to  come. 

When  at  last  she  had  satisfied  herself  that  everything 
was  exactly  as  she  wanted  it,  there  came  a  welcome 
sound  from  below  stairs,  that  made  her  pause,  then 
dart  joyfully  from  the  room. 

"Dad,"  she  cried,  running  down  the  stairs  like  a 
young  cyclone.  "You  always  do  some  wonderful  thing 
to  surprise  us.  We  said  good-bye  to  you  this  morn- 
ing, and  I  thought " 

"Yes,  you  thought  you  were  rid  of  your  foolish  old 
father,"  he  finished  for  her.  "But  I  came  back  just  to 
make  sure  you  got  the  right  train  and  see  you  started, 
anyway." 

"Oh,  no  other  father  in  the  wide,  wide,  world 
would  have  done  it,"  she  stated,  happily.  "Now  with 
both  you  and  the  sun — didn't  I  tell  you  everything 
would  be  all  right  in  the  end?"  she  added,  turning  tri- 
umphantly to  Phil  and  Jim,  who  had  taken  their  im- 
maculately new  straw  hats  from  the  rack  and  were 
preparing  to  descend  upon  the  three  missing  members 
of  the  party.  "Just  look  at  the  weather,  now." 

"You  win,"  her  brother  admitted.  "It  sure  has 
cleared  up  for  keeps  this  time.  You'd  better  start  to 


60  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

get  your  hat  and  coat  on  now,  Lucy,"  he  advised  as 
a  parting  shot.  "We  don't  want  you  to  keep  us 
waiting." 

Lucile  Smiled  up  into  her  father's  understanding 
eyes. 

"I'm  so  glad  you  came,  Dad,"  she  whispered,  for 
the  hundredth  time,  while  she  snuggled  close  to  him. 
"You're  the  very  dearest  father  a  girl  ever  had." 

By  the  time  the  rest  of  the  party  had  arrived,  Lucile 
had  said  good-bye  to  her  mother,  carefully  arranged 
her  pretty  straw  hat  before  the  mirror  and  had  started 
to  play  a  jerky  little  melody  on  the  piano.  The  melody 
was  jerky  because  Lucile' s  fingers  trembled  so  she 
could  hardly  feel  the  keys  and  because  her  eager  eyes 
were  turned  more  often  toward  the  street  than  the 
piano.  In  short,  she  was  playing  just  because  she  had 
to  do  something.  Ah,  there  they  were  now !  The 
unfortunate  melody  closed  with  a  crashing  chord  and 
Lucile  rushed  out  to  greet  the  new  arrivals. 

"Oh,  I  thought  you'd  never  come,"  she  cried.  "I've 
been  waiting  ever  so  long.  Girls,  you  look  darling,  all 
of  you!  Are  you  sure  you  haven't  forgotten  any- 
thing?" 

"I  hope  they  haven't,"  Phil  answered  for  them,  re- 


Brightening  Skies  81 

garding  the  three  bags  landed  on  the  sidewalk  rather 
ruefully.  "Jim  and  I  are  beginning  to  feel  like  ani- 
mated moving  vans  already.  Where's  your  trunk, 
Lucy?" 

"If  you  mean  my  gladstone  bag,"  she  corrected 
gaily,  "it's  inside — wait  a  minute  and  I'll  get  it.  Don't 
you  girls  want  to  sit  down,"  she  flung  back.  "I'll  have 
so  say  good-bye  to  Mary." 

"Sit  down,"  Jessie  echoed.  "Oh,  Lucy,  I  couldn't 
if  you  paid  me  for  it." 

Lucile  laughed  and  disappeared  into  the  region  of 
the  kitchen.  When  she  returned,  Jim  was  there  before 
her  and  had  stooped  to  pick  up  her  bag. 

"It  isn't  heavy,"  she  encouraged  him,  and  he  turned 
quickly  to  find  her  smiling  at  him. 

"It  wouldn't  make  a  bit  of  difference  to  me  if  it 
were,"  he  returned,  so  quickly  that  she  stared  at  him. 
Two  years  in  New  York  and  a  little  friendliness  on 
their  part  had  done  wonders  for  quiet  Jim,  she  told 
herself. 

When  they  joined  the  impatient  ones  on  the  porch, 
they  were  hurried  off  without  more  ado.  Mr.  Payton, 
who  had  been  talking  amiably  with  the  girls,  relieved 
the  animated  moving  vans  of  some  of  their  luggage, 


62  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

and  the  gay  party  moved  on,  the  girls  almost  dancing 
in  their  excitement. 

"I  hope  the  train  won't  be  late,"  Marjorie  worried. 
"The  Burleigh  station  isn't  the  most  beautiful  place  in 
the  world  to  wait  in — especially  when  you're  in  such 
a  hurry  to  get  away." 

"Well,  we  will,"  Phil  encouraged  her.  "Probably  if 
we  started  to  walk  to  the  next  station  we'd  get  there 
before  the  train." 

"How  very  cheerful  we  are  this  morning,"  Jessie 
commented.  "I've  never  had  to  wait  for  a  train  yet." 

"Probably  because  you  never  start  till  the  old  boat's 
about  due,"  Phil  retorted. 

"There's  the  whistle,  now,"  shrilled  Evelyn.  "You'd 
better  stop  talking  and  run." 

There  was  no  disputing  the  soundness  of  this  advice, 
and  they  followed  it  unhesitatingly.  A  few  moments' 
later,  warm  and  out  of  breath,  they  reached  the  sta- 
tion, just  in  time  to  see  the  train  turn  the  curve  and 
come  pounding  down  toward  them. 

"I  wonder  how  it  ever  happened,"  gasped  Lucile.  "I 
thought  we  had  plenty  of  time." 

Phil  took  out  his  watch  deliberately  and  they  fol- 
lowed his  movements  with  interest. 


Brightening  Skies  63 

"It's  five-fifteen  now,"  he  announced,  "and  our 
train's  not  due  till  five-twenty " 

"And  the  answer?"  Marjorie  prompted. 

"That  yonder  locomotive,"  he  went  on,  "is  the  fore- 
runner of  the  four-forty-five.  Probably  a  cow  on  the 
track  further  down  the  road." 

"Well,  we  have  five  extra  minutes  to  thank  the  cow 
for,"  Jessie  remarked  philosophically,  and  then  they 
all  turned  to  say  good-bye  to  Mr.  Payton. 

The  latter  was  watching  them  all  with  kindly  inter- 
est, but  his  eyes  wandered  more  often  to  Lucile,  where 
she  stood  between  Phil  and  Jessie,  anxious  for  the 
start,  yet  reluctant  to  part  with  him. 

"I  wish  you  were  going,  too,  Dad,"  she  whispered, 
as  the  great  train  came  to  a  standstill  and  the  girls 
started  up  the  steps.  "I'm  going  to  write  to  you  every 
day." 

"I  guess  you'd  better,"  he  answered,  with  a  twinkle 
in  his  eye.  "Take  good  care  of  her,  Phil,"  he  added, 
as  that  young  gentleman  started  up  the  steps.  "She's 
a  precious  charge." 

"I  know  that,  Dad,"  said  Phil,  a  ring  of  earnestness 
in  his  voice.  "You  needn't  worry." 

Then  the  train  moved  out  and  Mr.  Payton  turned 


64  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

thoughtfully  away — the  summer  was  a  dull  time  for 
him  without  the  two. 

Inside  the  boys  were  busy  disposing  of  baggage  and 
making  the  girls  comfortable  for  the  long  journey. 
Be  it  said  to  their  credit,  the  last  was  done  in  a  mas- 
terly manner,  and  when  Lucile  at  last  leaned  back  in 
her  comfortable  chair,  she  uttered  a  sigh  of  complete 
content. 

"Anything  more  I  can  do  for  you?"  Jim  inquired 
at  her  elbow.  "Jessie's  calling  for  her  spy  glasses — 
though  what  she  wants  them  for,  nobody  can  tell — 
and  Marjorie  can't  decide  whether  she  wants  to  take 
her  hat  off  or  not — now,  isn't  there  something  that's 
troubling  you?" 

"Not  a  thing  in  the  world,"  she  answered,  smiling 
up  at  him.  "Sit  down  here,  Jim,  and  tell  me  all  about 
the  place  and  the  people  we're  going  to.  Start  from 
the  very  beginning,  please." 

And  Jim,  nothing  loth,  obeyed. 


CHAPTER  VI 

A    MERRY    PARTY 

"Two  hours  more,"  said  Evelyn,  running  the  comb 
through  her  hair  in  a  thoughtfully  abstracted  manner. 
"Two  hours  more  and  we'll  see  good  old  New  York 
again.  It  seems  just  like  last  year !" 

"Yes,  Jessie's  taking  up  the  whole  mirror  just  the 
same  as  she  did  then,"  Lucile  complained,  plaintively. 
"Pull  your  hair  out  a  little  more  on  the  left  side,  dear, 
and  you'll  have  a  wonderful  effect,"  she  added. 

Marjorie  laughed.  "You  must  have  had  a  gay  old 
time,"  she  said.  "I  tell  you  I  envied  you — up  to  the 
time  the  war  broke  out  at  least." 

"Oh,  that  was  the  best  part,"  Jessie  remarked,  fol- 
lowing Lucile's  advice  in  regard  to  her  hair — the  effect 
of  which  she  regarded  with  a  critical  eye.  "The  run 
through  the  mist  with  all  lights  out  and  hostile  vessels 

on  every  side — o-h "  and  she  shuddered  happily  at 

the  memory. 

"You  sound  like  our  history  books,"  Evelyn  com- 
mented, calmly  elbowing  her  friend  from  the  place 

65 


66  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

before  the  mirror  and  inserting  her  own  plump  little 
person  in  the  place  left  vacant.  "All  that  about  hostile 
vessels  and  lights  out  sounds  fine  when  you're  safe  on 
shore,  but  I  remember  being  very  nervous  at  the  time." 

"Nervous  is  hardly  the  word,"  said  Lucile,  slipping 
an  arm  about  Marjorie  and  patiently  awaiting  a  chance 
to  fix  her  own  pretty  hair  before  the  one  mirror  the 
waiting  room  boasted.  "The  night  before  we  sighted 
the  harbor  was  just  about  the  worst  I  ever  put  in — 
or  ever  want  to." 

"It  was  rather  trying — ouch,  you  have  a  pin  in  your 
dress,  Evelyn — now  see  what  I  did,"  and  Jessie  held 
up  a  bleeding  finger  for  inspection. 

"Well,  if  you  didn't  haul  me  around  so,"  Evelyn  re- 
torted unfeelingly.  "I  wouldn't  loose  so  many  hooks 
or  need  so  many  pins." 

"Come  here,  child,"  Lucile  commanded,  with  a 
grandmotherly  air,  that  set  oddly  on  her  buoyant 
youthfulness.  "If  you  will  get  a  hook " 

"She'd  get  it  if  I  had  anything  to  say  about  it," 
grumbled  Jessie,  nursing  the  wounded  finger. 

Marjorie  laughed,  but  Lucile  continued,  gravely, 
"I'll  sew  it  on  for  you.  Now,  please  stand  still  or 
you'll  get  stuck." 


A  Merry  Party  67 

"Good  thing  for  her  I  should  say,"  Jessie  com- 
mented, still  in  an  undertone.  Evelyn  made  a  frantic 
dash  toward  her  tormentor,  but  a  warning  exclama- 
tion from  Lucile  brought  her  to  a  standstill,  helpless 
but  fuming. 

"Jessie,  please  wait  till  I  take  this  one  more  stitch," 
begged  Lucile.  "Before  we  know  it,  people  will  begin 
pouring  in  here  a  dozen  at  a  time,  and  I  won't  have 
a  chance  to  fix  my  hair.  There,  Evelyn,  is  there  any- 
thing else  I  can  do  for  you?" 

"Thanks,  Lucy,  not  a  thing,"  Evelyn  answered, 
gratefully,  then  turned  upon  Jessie  a  freezing  stare. 
"It's  more  than  some  people  I  know  would  have  done," 
she  added,  meaningly. 

Marjorie  laughed  and  Lucile  turned  to  her  despair- 
ingly. "This  is  what  I  had  to  put  up  with  all  last  sum- 
mer," she  said.  "Do  you  wonder  I'm  afraid  to  leave 
them  alone?" 

"I  think  it  might  be  a  good  riddance,"  Marjorie 
commented,  cruelly.  "Come  on,  Lucy — here's  our 
chance  at  the  mirror." 

"And  we'll  put  anybody  off  the  train  who  tries  to 
get  near  it  for  the  next  five  minutes,"  Lucile  added. 

"Five   minutes,"    sniffed   Jessie,    the   irrepressible. 


68  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"You  might  better  have  said  twenty.  Then,  giving  her 
friend  a  repentant  little  hug,  she  added,  "You're  the 
dearest  thing  in  the  world.  Evelyn  and  I  will  wait  for 
you  outside,"  and  the  two  erstwhile  enemies  sauntered 
arm  in  arm  from  the  room. 

In  spite  of  Jessie's  heartless  prediction,  the  two  girls 
joined  the  little  group  in  less  than  ten  minutes.  As 
Lucile  had  foreseen,  the  passengers  were  beginning  to 
pour  from  the  sleepers  and  our  girls  were  very  thank- 
ful for  the  impulse  that  had  lead  them  to  rise  early. 

"Oh,  here  you  are,"  Jessie  greeted  them.  "We  just 
found  Phil  and  Jim  back  there  in  a  deplorable  con- 
dition." 

"If  they're  as  bad  as  all  that,  don't  you  think  we 
had  better  send  for  the  doctor,"  Marjorie  inquired 
anxiously. 

"I  guess  a  chef  would  be  nearer  what  they  need," 
Lucile  hazarded.  "Just  think,  they  haven't  had  any- 
thing to  eat  since  last  night." 

"Cruelty  to  animals,"  Jessie  agreed.  "I  feel  as  if  I 
might  use  some  of  the  remedy  myself,"  she  added. 

A  few  moments  later  they  came  upon  the  objects 
under  discussion,  who  were  talking  in  a  sort  of  half- 
hearted manner. 


A  Merry  Party  69 

"Hello,  you  girls,"  Phil  greeted  at  their  approach. 
"When  do  we  eat?" 

"When  the  dining  car  opens,  I  suppose,"  his  sister 
answered,  demurely,  "we  might  station  ourselves  at  the 
entrance  to  make  sure  nobody  gets  there  before  us." 

"No  need  of  that,"  Jessie  teased.  "With  Phil  around 
nobody  else  has  a  chance  for  first  place." 

A  little  while  later  Phil  justified  her  faith  in  him, 
and  they  set  to  on  a  most  appetizing  and  savory  menu. 
As  the  meal  progressed,  their  spirits  grew  higher  and 
higher,  until  the  little  party  was  in  gales  of  merriment 
all  the  time — Phil  and  Jessie  were  simply  irresistible. 
When  at  last  they  rose  and  made  their  way  through 
the  crowded  car,  their  excitement  had  reached  fever 
heat,  and  the  remaining  hour  of  their  journey  to  the 
great  metropolis  seemed  to  stretch  before  them 
eternally. 

"It's  wonderful  how  long  an  hour  can  seem,"  Mar- 
jorie  sighed,  gazing  out  at  the  flying  landscape.  "You 
girls  have  seen  New  York  before,  but  I  haven't.  I'm 
so  used  to  hearing  you  rave  about  it  that  I  suppose  I'll 
expect  too  much." 

"You  couldn't,"  Evelyn  remarked,  with  finality.  "I 
only  wish  we  had  more  time  to  spend  in  it." 


70  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Yes,  we  did  the  same  thing  last  year,"  mused 
Lucile.  "Just  ran  in  and  then  right  out  again.  We 
hadn't  even  time  for  one  good  look." 

"You  wouldn't  have  seen  anything,  Lucy,  if  we  had 
had  time,"  Jessie  interposed,  slyly.  "You  were  too 
occupied  with  other  things." 

"Other  things?"  Marjorie  queried  with  uplifted  eye- 
brows, while  Lucile  blushed  furiously  and  shot  a  re- 
proachful glance  at  her  friend.  "Evidently  there  is 
something  else  I  don't  know  anything  about." 

"It's  better  not  to  know  anything  than  to  know  too 
much,"  said  Lucile,  attempting  to  hide  confusion  be- 
neath an  assumed  good  nature  and  staring  fixedly  out 
of  the  window  while  her  color  mounted  still  higher. 

Marjorie  shot  another  inquiring  glance  at  Jessie, 
which  the  latter  intercepted  with  a  wickedly  joyful  lit- 
tle nod  of  her  head.  Just  there  there  was  an  interrup- 
tion, very  welcome  to  Lucile  at  least,  in  the  shape  of 
the  two  boys  who  had  come  to  announce  that  they 
were  nearing  their  destination  with  amazing  rapidity. 

"Better  get  your  things  on,  girls,"  Phil  suggested. 
"There  won't  be  much  time  at  the  last  minute.  Have 
you  got  your  grips  all  packed?" 

The  answer  being  in  the  affirmative,  the  boys  seated 


A  Merry  Party  71 

themselves  comfortably  and  prepared  to  await  develop- 
ments. 

"Will  there  be  anybody  at  the  station  to  meet  us, 
Jim?"  Lucile  inquired.  "If  there  isn't,  I  hope  you  will 
know  the  way." 

"Adrift  in  New  York,"  sighed  Jessie,  ecstatically. 
"How  romantic." 

"Not  at  all,"  Phil  contradicted.  "I  can't  imagine 
anything  much  less  romantic  than  being  adrift  in  New 
York.  Now  a  good,  juicy  desert  island,  for  in- 
stance--— " 

"Oh,  Phil,  that  doesn't  happen  except  in  books,"  Lu- 
cile interrupted  cruelly.  "Besides,  you  haven't  given 
Jim  a  chance  to  answer  my  question." 

"Young  Mr.  Wescott  will  almost  surely  be  there  in 
his  machine,"  Jim  answered,  gravely.  "He  just  bought 
a  new  one  a  little  while  ago." 

"He  must  be  getting  on  all  right,"  Phil  broke  in 
interestedly.  "A  fellow  his  age  with  a  new  car — 
whew " 

"He's  a  wonder,"  Jim  eulogized.  "Only  thirty  now 
and  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  his  profession.  I 
tell  you,  he's  been  mighty  fine  to  me,"  and  the  boy's 
eyes  glowed  with  honest  affection. 


72  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Well,  you  deserved  it,  Jim,"  Phil  defended,  loy- 
ally. "It  won't  be  long  now  before  you  will  be  able 
to  work  right  in  with  him.  Then  your  fortune's 
made." 

"Sounds  good,  doesn't  it?"  Jim  smiled  his  pleasant 
smile.  "If  I  don't  make  good,  it  sure  won't  be  his 
fault.  Ten  minutes  more,"  he  added,  pulling  out  his 
watch  as  though  to  change  the  subject.  "I'm  anxious 
to  see  the  dear  old  place  again." 

"I  guess  it's  a  fact  that  New  Yorkers  are  never  con- 
tent to  live  anywhere  else  very  long,"  Marjorie  com- 
mented. "All  the  traveling  salesmen  that  come  to 
Burleigh  do  nothing  but  rave  about  Gotham.  I  can't 
wait  to  see  it." 

"Well,  you  won't  have  to  long,"  Evelyn  remarked. 
"I'm  beginning  to  feel  nervous  and  prickly  all  over — 
that's  a  sure  sign  we're  coming  to  our  destination. 
Oh,  girls  look,  don't  you  remember  this  place.  Why, 
it  seems  as  though  we  were  here  yesterday." 

The  girls  crowded  close  to  the  window,  scanning  the 
rapidly  changing  view  with  eager  eyes.  Their  breath 
came  quickly  and  their  faces  were  aglow  with  excite- 
ment. 

"Oh,  we're  here,"  Evelyn  cried  as  the  long  train 


A  Merry  Party  73 

glided  into  the  station  and  came  to  a  standstill  with 
much  shrieking  and  scraping  of  the  brakes.  "Boys, 
do  get  the  bags — please  don't  forget  mine — I  wouldn't 

know  what  to  do  without  it — oh — oh " 

"Oh,  Evelyn,  do  keep  still,"  Jessie  admonished  in  an 

* 

undertone.  "We  want  to  act  as  though  we  were  used 
to  this  sort  of  thing.  Besides,  you  forget  what  sea- 
soned travelers  we  are." 

"I'm  not  a  seasoned  anything,"  Evelyn  denied  re- 
belliously,  as  the  passengers,  laden  with  luggage,  be- 
gan to  pour  in  a  steady  stream  down  the  aisle.  "And 
I  don't  care  what  anybody  thinks.  Lucy,  do  hold  on 
to  me  good  and  tight — I'm  afraid  I'll  fly  away " 

"Come  on  girls,  don't  let's  be  the  last  ones  out," 
Phil  admonished.  "Not  that  way,  Jessie,  this  door's 
the  nearest,"  and  the  sextette  of  happy  youth  slipped 
into  the  crowd  and  made  their  way  slowly  toward  the 
platform. 

"Are  you  sure  we  have  everything,"  Lucile  whis- 
pered anxiously  in  her  brother's  ear — somehow  she 
felt  responsible  for  the  successful  outcome  of  their 
journey.  "It's  so  easy  to  leave  something " 

"Don't  you  worry,"  Phil  answered,  giving  her  arm 
a  reassuring  pressure.  "If  there  were  anything  else, 


74  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

I  couldn't  carry  it  anyway — I'm  the  original  human 
baggage  car  as  it  is.  Give  that  thing  a  shove  up,  will 
you,  Lucy?  I  probably  won't  have  anything  left  by 
the  time  we  get  on  the  platform." 

In  spite  of  his  gloomy  prediction,  the  entire  party, 
luggage  and  all,  landed  safely  on  the  station  a  moment 
later,  and  it's  components  looked  about  them  inter- 
estedly. 

"Oh,  I  love  it,"  Evelyn  cried,  with  a  little  ecstatic 
clap  of  her  hands  that  made  several  passersby  smile  in 
sympathy.  "There  isn't  a  thing  changed — not  a 
thing." 

"It  would  take  an  earthquake  to  make  any  consider- 
able change  in  this  place,"  Jim  remarked.  "Let's  walk 
down  the  station  a  little  way — Mr.  Wescott  ought  to 
be  right  about  here  somewhere — there  he  is  now.  See 
him — coming  toward  us " 

"Oh,  yes,  and  he  looks  just  the  same,  too,  only  hap- 
pier," Lucile  marveled. 

"Hello,  everybody,"  called  the  young  man  in  ques- 
tion. He  looked  very  young — barely  twenty-five  you 
would  have  said  at  first  sight.  His  light  gray  suit  and 
immaculate  straw  hat  became  his  clean  cut,  American 
good  looks  to  perfection,  and  his  smile,  that  showed 


A  Merry  Party  75 

two  rows  of  even  white  teeth,  seemed  to  include  the 
world,  in  its  atmosphere  of  genial  good  fellowship.  If 
Mr.  Jack  Wescott  had  not  been  just  what  he  was,  the 
girls  could  never  have  forgiven  him  the  great  crime  of 
marrying  their  guardian. 

"I  knew  we  wouldn't  have  to  look  very  far  for  you," 
said  Jim,  and  the  gladness  in  his  tone  showed  very 
plainly  the  relation  between  the  two.  "Did  you  bring 
the  car?" 

"Sure  thing,"  he  answered,  boyishly,  and  then  his 
laughing  gaze  rested  upon  the  girls  whom  he  had  last 
seen  two  years  before.  "So  these  are  the  young  ladies 
my  wife  is  waiting  so  anxiously  to  see,"  he  said.  "I 
expected  to  find  little  girls  in  short  dresses,  and  behold ! 
Oh.  well,  two  years  works  wonders,"  and  his  eyes, 
twinkled,  though  his  surprise  at  the  change  in  them 
had  been  very  genuine. 

However,  they  were  four  very  pretty  girls  he 
thought,  as  he  piloted  the  little  party  down  the  plat- 
form and  toward  the  street — especially  the  dark  one, 
with  the  color. 

"Here  we  are,"  he  announced  a  moment  later, 
throwing  open  the  door  of  a  handsome  machine.  "Five 
of  you  can  get  in  the  tonneau  and  Jim  can  jump  in  the 


76  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

front  with  me.  That's  the  idea — now  are  you  all 
comfortable  ?" 

"More  than  that,"  Lucile  assured,  and  with  a  laugh 
he  sprang  into  the  driver's  seat  and  started  the  big 
machine.  As  it  glided  silently  out  into  the  crowded 
thoroughfare  Jessie  turned  to  Lucile  with  a  happy 
smile. 

"Am  I  awake?"  she  began,  then  added  hastily,  as 
Lucile  made  a  quick  movement  with  her  thumb  and 
forefinger.  "No,  you  needn't  pinch  me  dear — I'm  per- 
fectly positive  that  I  am !" 

Lucile  laughed  and  turned  to  Marjorie.  "Well, 
Marj,  how  do  you  like  your  first  glimpse?"  she  in- 
quired. 

"When  I  can  catch  my  breath  I'm  going  to  like  it," 
said  Marjorie,  a  little  gasp  in  her  voice.  "Oh,  Lucy, 
look — we  almost  ran  down  that  wagon!" 

"Well,  you  notice  we  didn't,"  said  Jessie,  philosophi- 
cally. "It's  just  luck,  I  know,  but  as  long  as  the  luck 
holds  out,  why  worry?" 


CHAPTER  VII 

GUARDIAN   OF   THE   CAMP  FIRE 

THE  car  drew  up  before  a  majestic  apartment  house 
on  Riverside  drive.  Mr.  Jack  Wescott  jumped  out, 
opened  the  door  of  the  tonneau  and  offered  a  helping 
hand  to  the  girls.  Phil  would  have  preferred  to  do 
the  honors  himself,  but  since  their  host  persisted  in 
being  so  intrusively  polite,  what  could  he  do  ?  Answer, 
he  gloomily  told  himself,  was- — nothing ! 

"Suppose  you  had  your  trunks  sent  right  on  to 
Tanike?"  Mr.  Wescott  half  questioned,  half  stated,  as 
he  propelled  them  across  the  sidewalk  and  into  the 
marble  entrance.  "They  probably  won't  reach  there 
much  before  you  anyway,  counting  the  delays  and 
possible  accidents." 

"We  thought  of  that,"  Phil  answered.  "Told  them 
to  hold  the  luggage  at  the  other  end." 

"Good!  Here's  the  lift — in  with  you  all.  Fourth, 
Tom.  "The  elevator  boy  touched  his  cap  and  they 
floated  upward. 

The  girls'  eyes  grew  wider  with  every  moment.  You 

77 


78  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

see,  they  had  never  been  in  a  Riverside  apartment 
house  before,  and  this  ascent  to  parts  unknown  seemed 
strangely  thrilling  and  interesting. 

"I  don't  see  why  we  had  to  go  to  Europe,"  said  Jes- 
sie, putting  her  thought  into  words.  ''When  we  had 
such  wonderful  things  here  right  under  our  noses. 
Why,  there's  hardly  a  house  in  England  more  than 
three  stories  high !" 

Mr.  Wescott  laughed.  "Americans  often  make  that 
mistake,"  he  said.  "They  spend  a  good  part  of  their 
lives  visiting  foreign  countries  and  never  discover  the 
wonders  in  their  own.  Hello,  here  we  are  again.  To 
your  left — that's  it.  Now  to  surprise  the  lady  of  the 
house,"  and  he  fitted  the  key  into  the  lock  with  prac- 
tised fingers. 

The  "lady  of  the  house"  had  already  heard  the  sound 
of  voices  outside  the  door,  and  as  the  girls  crowded 
into  the  hall,  followed  by  the  two  boys  and  her  hus- 
band, she  was  waiting  for  them  with  outstretched 
arms. 

After  that,  confusion  reigned  supreme.  Kisses  and 
ecstatic  hugs  and  questions  and  answers  were  ex- 
changed with  such  lightning  like  rapidity,  that  the 
three  mere  men  stood  aside  in  admiring  wonder. 
Finally,  Mr.  Jack  Wescott  felt  called  upon  to  interpose. 


Guardian  of  the  Camp  Fire  79 

"If  you  will  just  let  us  inside  where  we  can  drop 
these  grips,  my  dear,"  he  suggested,  mildly,  "we  would 
appreciate  it.  Besides,  it  makes  us  jealous  to  have  to 
stand  on  the  outside  and  look  on  at  all  this  lavish 
affection.  If  you  could  only  send  some  of  it  our 
way " 

Helen  Wescott  lifted  a  deliciously  flushed  face,  and 
frankly  laughed  at  her  husband.  "You  all  look  terribly 
neglected,"  she  mocked.  "But  since  the  bags  are  a  bit 
heavy,  we'll  take  pity  on  you.  The  first  room  you 
come  to,  girls,"  she  said,  "and  you  boys  can  deposit  the 
grips  in  the  next  one.  My,  it's  good  to  have  such  a 
great  big  house  full." 

"  'Full'  is  right,"  laughed  Lucile.  "Really  it's  a 
crime  to  come  down  on  you  like  this." 

"Then  we're  the  very  happiest  criminals  out  of  jail," 
said  Jessie,  taking  off  her  hat  and  fluffing  out  her 
golden  hair.  "It's  enough  to  drive  one  to  a  life  of 
crime." 

Mrs.  Wescott  laughed  gaily.  "I  don't  have  to  ask 
you  how  you  are,"  she  said.  "I  never  saw  any  of  you 
looking  so  well  before.  Lucile,  I  don't  see  where  you 
get  the  color." 

"Same  place  you  get  yours,"  Lucile  returned,  fondly 
slipping  an  arm  about  her  guardian,  who  seemed  no 


80  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

older  than  the  girls  themselves.  "I  always  envied  you 
in  camp,  and  I'll  never  get  over  it." 

Mrs.  Wescott  patted  the  rosy  cheek  gently.  "And 
you'll  never  get  over  spoiling  me,  either,"  she  said, 
softly.  "My  girls  always  did  that." 

"Come  on  in,  girls — I've  found  a  Victrola."  It  was 
Phil's  voice  from  somewhere  further  front,  and  as 
though  to  give  proof  to  his  words,  there  issued  from 
the  same  direction  the  alluring  strains  of  the  latest  and 
most  syncopated  fox  trot. 

Young  Mrs.  Wescott,  radiant  in  her  gray  dress  with 
its  spattering  of  rosebuds  here  and  there,  rose  quickly 
from  her  seat  and  gave  her  orders  with  the  air  of  a 
general  commanding  his  troops. 

"Go  on  in  there  and  dance,"  she  directed.  "While  I 
go  and  see  how  the  lunch  is  getting  on — you  must  be 
starving.  Hurry,  now — scatter!"  and  the  girls,  noth- 
ing loth,  "scattered." 

Young  Mr.  Wescott  proved  to  be  a  most  excellent 
dancer — Lucile  could  not  help  thinking  of  another  time 
when  she  had  danced  with  another  Jack — oh,  what  a 
night  of  sheer  gladness  that  had  been !  And  she  was 
soon  to  see  him  again — might  even  dance  with 
him 


Guardian  of  the  Camp  Fire  81 

"Which  would  you  rather  do  ?"  inquired  Helen  Wes- 
cott,  poking  her  head  in  at  the  door  at  that  precise 
moment.  "Dance  or  eat  ?" 

Phil  gave  a  whoop — Lucile  often  declared  she  could 
never  teach  him  manners — and  made  a  rush  to  take  off 
the  record. 

"Leave  it  alone,"  said  Jim.  "The  phonograph  stops 
itself." 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  me  that  before!"  Phil  re- 
proached him.  "I  wasted  two  minutes  of  valuable  time 
when  I  might  have  been  eating." 

After  that  the  young  folks  could  have  found  their 
way  to  the  dining  room  without  the  aid  of  directions 
from  their  hostess. 

After  a  most  excellent  luncheon,  Mr.  Wescott  took 
his  leave,  declaring  that  the  office  did  need  him  some- 
times, and  the  young  folks  were  left  to  their  own  de- 
vices for  the  afternoon. 

Mrs.  Wescott  informed  the  girls  that  a  theatre 
party  had  been  planned  for  that  night,  as  it  was  the 
one  night  they  were  to  have  in  New  York,  and  told 
them  to  fill  in  the  time  anyway  they  wanted  to  until 
then — she  was  at  their  service. 

"We  might  take  the  car  and  see  the  city,"   she 


82  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

suggested.      "Or  we   might   visit   some   of   the   mu- 


seums  

"Please,"  Mdrjorie  laid  her  hand  rather  timidly  on 
her  guardian's.  "I  suppose  none  of  you  will  agree, 
but,  since  we  are  going  out  to-night,  couldn't  we  just 
stay  here  and  talk^-talk  about — old  times " 

"Marjorie,  I  always  knew  you  had  a  good  deal  of 
sense,"  said  Jessie,  nodding  wisely  and  slipping  an 
arm  about  Lucile  as  she  stood  by  the  window.  "There 
are  a  good  deal  prettier  things  to  see  in  New  York 
than  the  city." 

"There  you  go,  spoiling  me  again,"  said  the  little 
guardian  plaintively,  though  she  flushed  with  pleasure 
at  the  sincere  compliment.  "I'm  glad  you  have  decided 
that  way,"  she  went  on,  in  her  low,  sweet  voice,  "be- 
cause I  think  you  all  need  a  little  rest  and  quiet  before 
the  excitement  of  to-night  and  to-morrow.  Jim  is  go- 
ing to  take  Phil  down  to  see  some  of  his  friends,  so 
we  won't  be  interrupted.  We  can  have  a  cozy  little 
tea  about  five  o'clock " 

"Oh,  please,  don't  say  any  more,"  begged  Lucile,  her 
eyes  shining.  "I'll  be  too  happy.  It's  exactly  as  we 
planned  it  for  the  last  week.  And  then  the  theatre 
to-night " 


Guardian  of  the  Camp  Fire  83 

"Do  you  remember  how  you  described  it  to  us — the 
theatre,  I  mean/'  Jessie  went  on,  taking  up  the  thread. 
"When  you  came  to  Burleigh  last  summer  before  we 
started  for  Europe?  It  seemed  pretty  far  away  then, 
but  now " 

And  so  they  went  on  and  on,  reviewing  events  of 
the  summer  before  and  even  the  summer  before  that, 
when  they  had  pitched  their  famous  camp  on  the  banks 
of  the  Mayaro  river. 

Five  o'clock  came  and  with  it  the  cozy  tea  Mrs.  Wes- 
cott  had  promised,  and  then,  much  too  soon  for  the 
girls  who  were  only  half  talked  out,  came  dinner  and 
the  necessary  masculine  contingent  of  the  happy  house- 
hold. As  Lucile  had  often  remarked,  "a  dinner  and 
Phil  always  came  together." 

"Hello,"  cried  Jack  Wescott's  hearty  voice.  "Why 
on  earth  are  you  people  sitting  in  the  dark?  Elec- 
tricity is  cheap,"  and  with  the  words  he  switched  on 
the  lights,  fairly  blinding  the  happy  conspirators. 

The  latter  blinked  and  faced  about  to  find  Jim  and 
Phil  grinning  at  them  over  Mr.  Wescott's  shoulder. 

"What  do  you  suppose  they  find  to  talk  about,  Jim  ?" 
asked  Phil  with  the  air  of  one  seeking  enlightenment 
on  a  dark  subject.  Tm  willing  to  bet  you  a  new  neck- 


84  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

tie  they  haven't  changed  their  positions  since  we  left 
them." 

"Don't  be  rash,  Phil  dear,"  purred  Jessie,  tucking  in 
a  stray  lock  of  hair  and  smiling  up  at  him  tantalizingly. 
"Remember,  you'll  need  all  your  money  for  sodas 
when  we  get  to  Tanike." 

"This  being  leap  year,  the  ladies  ought  to  treat," 
Phil  retorted,  drawing  Jessie  into  a  corner  where  he 
imparted  some  very  important  news,  judging  from  the 
look  of  surprise  and  pleasure  on  her  face.  The  others 
had  become  used  to  the  interchange  of  secrets  between 
the  two,  and  so  very  discreetly  turned  the  other  way. 

Blindness  is  so  convenient  sometimes. 

About  quarter  of  eight  the  entire  party  reassembled 
in  the  living  room,  waiting  with  scarcely  concealed  im- 
patience for  the  arrival  of  the  Wescott  limousine. 

"Girls,  you  did  get  ready  in  a  hurry,"  their  hostess 
complimented  them,  "and  you  look  as  fresh  and  sweet 
as  though  you  had  spent  an  hour  over  your  dressing." 

Lucile  chuckled.  "Since  all  our  good  clothes  are  on 
the  way  to  Tanike,"  she  laughed.  "We  didn't  have 
much  chance  to  make  ourselves  beautiful.  All  I  did 
was  to  put  my  hat  on  differently,  You'd  be  surprised 
how  dressed  up  that  makes  you  feel." 


Guardian  of  the  Camp  Fire  85 

They  laughed  with  her  and  Mr.  Wescott's  wonder- 
ing eyes  travelled  questioningly  from  one  natty  lit- 
tle traveling  suit  to  the  other. 

"If  the  girls  didn't  tell  us  they  weren't  dressed  up/' 
he  laughingly  confided  to  the  boys,  "We  wouldn't  know 
the  difference.  There's  our  car,"  he  added,  as  a  partic- 
ularly raucous  horn  mingled  with  the  general  din.  "I 
couldn't  mistake  that  infernal  wail.  Everybody 
ready?" 

They  assented  eagerly,  and  a  moment  later  had  been 
whirled  down  in  the  handsome  elevator  and  were  be- 
ing handed  into  the  big  machine.  It  was  a  beauty — 
deep  wine  color  outside  and  in  and  the  cushions — one 
fairly  sank  into  them.  It  took  pretty  close  figuring 
to  get  everybody  in — as  a  matter  of  fact,  Jessie  sat  on 
Lucile's  lap  and  Evelyn  on  Marjorie's  most  of  the 
way — but  that  made  all  the  more  fun. 

"Don't  forget  and  try  to  get  up  first,  when  the  car 
stops,"  Jessie  cautioned.  "I'm  apt  to  take  a  flying  leap 
onto  the  sidewalk." 

"That's  the  last  thing  I'll  do — forget,"  Lucile  as- 
sured her.  "Although  I  love  you,  Jessie,  dear,  you're 
not  what  I  should  call  a  feather " 

"That's  it,  go  ahead  and  insult  me  when  you  know 


86  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

I  can't  do  anything,"  said  Jessie,  pathetically.  "I'm 
not  a  feather,  but  neither  am  I  the " 

"Prize  fat  lady?"  Evelyn  finished  demurely.  "Cheer 
up,  Jessie,  there's  plenty  of  time  yet — I  wouldn't  give 
up  hope  if  I  were  you." 

"Take  care — you  shall  regret,"  in  her  effort  to  be 
rhetorical,  Jessie  lost  her  balance  and  clutched  Evelyn's 
sleeve  frantically,  thereby  entirely  spoiling  the  effect 
and  sending  the  girls  into  gales  of  laughter.  "Well, 
I  don't  care,"  she  exclaimed  defiantly.  "How  can  I 
help  it  if  Lucy's  knee  wiggles." 

"That's  it,  always  put  the  blame  on  someone  else," 
Evelyn  taunted  while  the  others  laughed  anew.  "Mar- 
jorie's  knee  isn't  the  steadiest  seat  in  the  world 
either " 

"You'd  think  we  only  had  one  knee,  Marj,"  Lucile 
chuckled.  "Why  do  they  always  speak  in  the  sin- 
gular?" But  Evelyn  went  on  unheeding. 

"And  just  look  at  me,"  she  finished.  "Do  I  fall  all 
over  the  place? — no!" 

"Oh,  everybody  knows  you're  a  seven-days'  won- 
der," said  Jessie  with  a  sarcasm  that  would  have 
crushed  a  less  hardened  sinner  than  Evelyn.  "You 
needn't  tell  us  about  it." 


Guardian  of  the  Camp  Fire  87 

"Well,  as  long  as  you  realize  it,"  Evelyn  was  begin- 
ning, when  the  machine  stopped  before  a  brilliantly 
lighted  theatre  and  the  chauffeur  leaned  over  to  open 
the  door. 

"Oh,  we  have  arrived!"  she  added,  in  an  excited 
whisper.  "Let  the  boys  out  first,  Jessie,  and  please 
see  if  you  can  keep  from  disgracing  us." 

Jessie's  only  answer  to  this  last  shot  was  an  indig- 
nant stare,  and  a  moment  later  the  girls  found  them- 
selves ushered  into  a  magnificent  lobby,  and  from 
there  into  the  softly  carpeted,  subtly  rustling  theatre 
itself. 

They  had  scarcely  taken  their  seats  when  the  orches- 
tra struck  up  a  spirited  selection,  and  everything  was 
forgotten — even  the  recent  good-natured  animosity  be- 
tween Jessie  and  Evelyn — in  the  rush  of  new  sights 
and  sounds  that  claimed  their  attention.  The  rest  was 
like  a  brilliant  dream.  The  play  was  good,  the  music 
good  and  everything  was  just  as  the  eager  girls  had 
pictured  it  in  Burleigh. 

When  at  last  all  was  over  and  they  had  slipped  into 
their  beds  in  the  two  adjoining  rooms,  Mrs.  Wescott 
paused  a  moment  before  turning  out  the  lights.  "Well, 
how  did  you  like  it?"  she  asked,  smiling  down  upon 


88  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

the  two  heads  on  the  pillow — one  light  and  one  dark. 
"Do  you  think  my  descriptions  were  exaggerated?" 

"Not  one  bh,"  Lucile  denied  emphatically.  "I  think 
it  was  all  wonderful." 

"Only,"  sighed  Jessie,  "I  didn't  like  the  hero's  style 
of  beauty." 

"I  noticed  he  didn't  look  much  like  Phil  at  the  time," 
Evelyn  called  from  the  other  room.  "His  hair  was 
too  light." 

Mrs.  Wescott  switched  off  the  light  with  a  click. 
"Go  to  sleep,  you  two,"  she  ordered.  "Otherwise  I'll 
be  forced  to  lock  the  door  between." 

There  was  a  muffled  chuckle  from  the  other  room — 
evidently  Marjorie  was  trying  force ! 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A   FISH    STORY 

"TIME  to  get  up  girls — it's  after  nine  o'clock,  and 
the  train  starts  at  eleven.  Come,  wake  up !" 

The  insistently  sweet  voice  caused  Lucile  to  open 
one  sleepy  eye  while  Jessie  flopped  over  on  the  other 
side  and  drew  the  covers  over  her  head. 

Mrs.  Wescott  laughed  softly  and  sat  down  on  the 
edge  of  the  bed. 

"I  know  it's  hard,  after  getting  to  bed  so  late  last 
night,"  she  acknowledged,  regarding  the  girls'  rum- 
pled heads  fondly,  "but  we  can't  miss  the  train.  I'm 
going  to  stay  right  where  I  am  until  I  see  one  or  both 
of  you  on  your  feet.  That's  settled!" 

Again  the  quiet  insistence  of  her  tone  caused  Jessie 
to  groan  dismally. 

"Oh,  dear  guardian,"  she  wailed,  her  voice  half 
stifled  by  the  bed  clothes.  "Just  fifteen  minutes  more 
— I  can't  even  get  my  eyes  open — please !" 

Lucile  laughed  and  opened  the  other  eye,  blinking 

89 


90  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

* 

up  inquiringly  into   her  guardian's   serenely  smiling 

face. 

"What  time  is  it?"  she  asked,  stifling  a  tremendous 
yawn.  "It  seems  to  me  I  just  got  to  sleep." 

"It  always  does,"  Mrs.  Wescott  assured  her,  laugh- 
ing. "As  to  the  time,  I  told  you  that  before,  but  I 
guess  you  were  too  near  dreamland  to  hear  me.  It  is 
now,"  examining  her  little  watch,  "just  seven  and  a 
half  minutes  past  nine." 

Again  the  doleful  sound  from  the  little  huddled 
mass  that  was  Jessie.  Lucile  reached  over  and  pulled 
a  protruding  braid,  thereby  eliciting  a  sharp  exclama- 
tion and  a  more  emphatic  flop. 

"Goodness,  I'm  miserable  enough  without  having 
my  hair  pulled,"  she  protested,  uncovering  a  sleep 
flushed,  indignant  little  face.  "I  wish  everybody  would 
just  go  away  and  leave  me  at  peace.  I  never  seem 
to  get  enough  sleep,  anyway,"  with  which  protest  at 
a  hard  and  unyielding  fate,  she  buried  her  face  in  the 
pillow  and  closed  her  eyes  with  an  air  of  finality. 

Lucile  looked  at  Mrs.  Wescott  and  shook  her  pretty 
head  despairingly.  "Between  Phil  and  Jessie,"  she 
dimpled,  "I  have  my  hands  full." 

"I've  noticed  that,"  smiled  her  guardian.    "But  you 


A  Fish  Story  91 

don't  seem  to  be  particularly  bowed  down  by  the  bur- 
den." 

"Oh,  I  am,  but  I'm  too  proud  to  disclose  my  secret 
sorrow  to  an  unsympathetic  world,"  sighed  Lucile, 
then  continued  before  her  friend  had  a  chance  to  utter 
the  disparaging  remark  on  her  lips. 

"Jessie,"  she  cried,  "just  think  of  the  sun  shining 
on  the  ocean  the  way  we  saw  it  on  the  Mauretania — 
only  better  this  time,  because  we'll  have  the  real  surf 
on  a  real  sandy  beach — oh,  I'm  dying  to  see  it,"  and 
she  jumped  out  of  bed,  doing  her  own  original  little 
toe  dance  around  the  room.  "Oh,  I  can't  wait  to  see 
it,"  she  repeated,  while  her  guardian  reached  out  and 
drew  the  slender  figure  toward  her  lovingly. 

"Huh,"  grunted  Jessie,  cross  because  she  was 
sleepy.  "I  imagine  the  ocean  isn't  the  only  thing 
you're  crazy  to  see." 

Mrs.  Wescott  looked  from  one  to  the  other,  sensing 
a  joke.  Lucile' s  color  flamed  and  for  the  first  time 
her  guardian  saw  real  anger  in  the  dark  eyes.  With- 
out a  word,  she  turned  away  and  began  to  arrange 
her  things  at  the  other  end  of  the  room. 

The  puzzled  little  hostess  realized  that  here  was 
something  better  let  alone,  and  with  unerring  tact  she 


92  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

rose  from  the  bed  and  made  her  way  to  the  next  room, 
and  closed  the  door. 

"I'll  call  these  other  sleepy  heads,"  she  flung  back 
over  her  shoulder.  "Breakfast  will  be  ready  in  half 
an  hour." 

The  two  girls  dressed  in  strained  silence,  and  it 
was  not  till  they  had  turned  to  leave  the  room  that 
either  spoke — and  then  it  was  Jessie. 

"Lucile,"  she  began,  rather  awkwardly,  for  she  had 
never  seen  her  friend  like  this  before.  "I — I'm — sorry. 
I — I  didn't  mean  to  be — rude — or,  anything.  You 
know  I  wouldn't  hurt  you  for  the  world " 

"Oh,  it's  all  right,"  Lucile  assured  her,  throwing  an 
impulsive  arm  about  the  penitent's  neck.  "I  dare  say 
I  was  very  much  of  a  goose  to  mind  anyway.  Only 
you  see — I'm  not  used — everything  seems  so — oh, 
you  know  what  I  mean !" 

"Just  exactly,"  said  Jessie,  pressing  a  warm  little 
kiss  on  the  flushed  cheek.  "You  and  I  are  very  much 
in  the  same  fix,  I  imagine,"  and  before  Lucile  could 
demand  an  explanation,  they  had  reached  the  dining 
room  and  were  instantly  surrounded. 

Breakfast  was  eaten  to  the  accompaniment  of  jokes 
and  merry  laughter,  in  which  Lucile  joined  with  even 


A  Fish  Story  93 

more  than  her  ordinary  high  spirits.  She  was  the 
focus  of  all  eyes  and,  indeed,  how  could  it  be  other- 
wise? Twin  roses  flamed  in  her  cheeks,  her  eyes 
sparkled,  and  her  quick  merry  smile  flashed  out  con- 
tinually. 

"Isn't  Lucy  wonderful  this  morning?"  Evelyn 
whispered  to  Jessie  as  they  rose  from  the  table.  "I 
never  saw  her  so  lovely.  Just  look  at  that  color." 

"There's  a  reason,"  said  Jessie  enigmatically,  and 
then  Phil  claimed  her  attention. 

"Marjorie,  I  guess  we've  mixed  brushes,"  said  Lu- 
cile,  regarding  her's  with  a  troubled  frown — they 
were  getting  their  things  packed  for  the  last  stage  of 
the  journey.  "Mine  has  a  scratch  on  the  back,  I  know. 
Oh,  there's  the  car,  now,"  and  at  the  sound  of  the 
horn  she  actually  jumped.  Why  was  she  so  nervous, 
so  excited — there  was  absolutely  no  cause 

"Come  on,  girls,"  PhiJ  was  impatient.  "Mr.  Wes- 
cott's  been  waiting  for  half  an  hour  now,"  and  al- 
though this  last  statement  was  rather  exaggerated,  it 
had  nevertheless  the  desired  effect. 

At  last,  at  last,  they  were  on  the  way  to  Tanike! 
The  girls'  hearts  sang  it,  the  engine  bell  clanged  it, 
and,  to  the  joyful  little  party  on  board  the  train,  even 


94  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

the  humming  rails  seemed  to  announce  the  glorious 
fact.  "Tanike,"  "Tanike,"  "Tanike,"  puffed  the  steam 
in  the  great  locomotive,  and  Lucile  felt  a  wild  desire 
to  join  in  the  chorus 

"Well,  this-  is  something  like,"  said  Phil,  sinking 
into  the  seat  beside  Jessie  and  riveting  his  gaze  on  the 
fast  flying  landscape.  "New  York  is  all  right,  but  it's 
mighty  hot  in  summer/' 

"Oh,  I  don't  mind  how  hot  it  gets —  the  hotter  the 
better,"  said  Jessie,  with  a  reckless  disregard  of  at- 
mospheric conditions  that  caused  her  companions  to 
look  at  her  inquiringly. 

"Why  the  sudden  heroism?"  Evelyn  inquired.  "If 
it  gets  much  warmer  I'll  just  naturally  fade  away," 
and  she  fanned  herself  vehemently. 

Jessie  looked  about  her  pityingly.  "Hasn't  it  ever 
occurred  to  you,"  she  elucidated,  "that  the  hotter  the 
sun  is  the  better  the  water  will  feel?" 

"Well,  we  can't  live  in  the  water  forever,"  Evelyn 
protested  "We  might  have  to  eat  sometime." 

"Maybe  Jessie's  thinking  of  the  story,"  Jim  began, 
with  a  quizzical  little  smile  on  his  usually  grave  face, 
"about  the  man  who  said  good-bye  to  his  wife,  went 
out  for  a  swim  and,  two  weeks  later,  came  back  the 


A  Fish  Story  95 

same  way.     The  doctor  pronounced  his  malady  loss 

of  memory,  and  he  and  the  wife  both  concluded  that 
t. >» 

"Had  been  doing  the  mermaid  act  for  two  weeks, 
eh?"  Phil  deducted.  "Gee,  I  admire  that  fellow." 

Evelyn  looked  wide-eyed  from  one  to  the  other. 
"But  what  had  he  been  doing  all  that  time?"  she 
asked.  "Everybody  knows  a  man  can't  live  without 
eating." 

"Oh,  he  didn't,"  Jim  assured  her  with  a  broad  grin. 
"In  fact,  he  never  had  had  such  good  fare  in  his  life." 

"Go  on,"  commanded  Jessie  while  Lucile  and  Mar- 
jorie,  who  had  been  talking  together,  paused  to  listen. 
"You  can't  stop  now  till  you've  cleared  up  the 
mystery." 

"Oh,  it  was  hardly  that,"  Jim  obliged.  "You  see, 
this  sea  gentleman  had  received  a  legacy  which  he 
decided  to  spend  in  New  York  and — alone.  Then 
when  he  found  out  the  money  was  left  to  his  wife  in- 
stead of  himself,  he  very  naturally  decided  it  was  high 
time  to  come  home." 

"And  so  the  mermaid  stunt  was  all  faked  up  after 
all,"  said  Phil,  with  interest. 

"Why,  of  course,  he  had  to  come  back  the  way  he 


96  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

went,"  Jim  agreed,  satisfied  with  the  success  of  his 
story.  "When  the  wife  saw  his  clothes  on  the  beach 
she  naturally  concluded  he  had  been  drowned,  and 
when  he  came  swimming  back  suffering  from  loss  of 
memory,  there  was  a  joyful  reunion " 

"And  no  questions  asked,"  sniffed  Jessie.  "That's 
all  right  in  the  movies." 

"How  did  you  know  it  was  a  picture?"  asked  Jim, 
surprised.  "I  didn't  tell  you  so." 

"Couldn't  be  anything  else,"  said  the  wise  young 
person  emphatically.  "Such  things  don't  happen  even 
in  regular  stories." 

"Humph,"  it  was  Evelyn's  turn  to  disbelieve. 
"Probably  she  saw  it  in  one  of  our  picture  shows  back 
home." 

Lucile,  scenting  battle,  covered  her  face  with  her 
hands  in  mock  terror  of  the  outcome. 

"I  wouldn't  even  take  the  trouble  to  deny  such  a 
charge,"  Jessie  began,  icily,  while  the  rest  looked  on 
in  frank  enjoyment.  "Besides,  I  might  suggest  that 
you  wouldn't  speak  of  our  picture  shows  'back  home' 
as  if  we  came  from  the  dim  interior " 

"Well,  it  certainly  isn't  the  seacoast,"  Evelyn  re- 
torted, while  the  others  laughed  at  Jessie's  surprise. 


A  Fish  Story  97 

"And  I  didn't  say  it  was  dim  either — there  never 
was  a  brighter  place  than  dear  old  Burleigh " 

"Oh,  do  stop,"  Marjorie  pleaded,  "I'm  beginning 
to  get  homesick  already." 

"She's  a  young  thing  and  cannot  leave  her  mother," 
chanted  Jessie,  while  Marjorie  looked  about  for  some- 
thing to  throw  at  her.  "It's  no  use,  Marj,  there's 
nothing  movable  but  the  hatrack " 

"And  that's  up  above,"  finished  Phil,  adding,  as  sev- 
eral pitying  looks  were  directed  his  way.  "You  don't 
need  to  look  so  disgusted — if  I  hadn't  said  it,  some- 
body else  would." 

"You  wrong  us,"  Jessie  asserted.  "I  admit  we're 
pretty  hopeless,  but  that's " 

"Going  a  little  bit  too  far,"  Marjorie  laughed. 
"Say,  people,  I  vote  we  form  an  axless  club " 

"Ax  me  no  questions  and  I'll  tell  you  no  lies,"  sang 
Phil.  "May  I  inquire  just  what  is  an  'axless  club/  ' 

"Certainly,  any  one  may  inquire,"  said  Marjorie 
graciously,  "go  right  ahead." 

Phil  looked  at  Jim  as  though  seeking  moral  support. 
"I'm  afraid  we're  outnumbered,  Jim,"  he  despaired. 

"Anybody  with  a  grain  of  sense  would  know  what 
an  axless  club  meant  in  the  first  place,"  Jessie  declared, 


98  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

regarding  the  flying  landscape  dreamily.  "But,  of 
course,  what  can  we  expect?" 

"Take  care,"  Marjorie  warned  with  a  laugh.  "We 
may  bait  them  too  far — I  see  murder  in  Phil's  eyes. 
Why  so  pensive,  Lucy?"  she  added,  to  change  the 
subject.  "One  might  almost  think  you  weren't  with 
us." 

"Perhaps  she's  just  trying  to  create  that  impres- 
sion," said  Jessie,  ruefully.  "You  could  hardly 
blame  her,  considering " 

"You  needn't  drag  us  all  in  on  this,"  Evelyn  broke 
in  quickly.  "I,  at  least " 

"Oh,  girls,"  begged  Lucile.  "If  you  would  only  call 
a  truce  for  five  minutes — just  five  minutes.  I  think 
that  axless  club  is  the  best  thing  you  ever  thought  of, 
Marj,"  she  added.  "Only  it  wouldn't  work.  How 
much  farther  to  Tanike  is  it,  dear  guardian?"  she 
asked.  "It  seems  to  me  it  can't  take  very  much 
longer." 

"About  an  hour  more,"  smiled  the  little  woman,  re- 
garding Lucile  with  a  new  question  in  her  eyes.  She, 
Lucile,  had  always  been  the  life  of  any  party  she  hap- 
pened to  be  in.  It  was  not  like  her  to  draw  apart  from 
the  others  and  start  at  every  question  abruptly  ad- 


A  Fish  Story  99 

dressed  to  her.  There  must  be  some  reason — she 
wondered — but  all  she  said  was,  "About  an  hour 
more." 

And  their  chaperone  had  not  been  the  only  one  to 
notice  the  unusual  abstraction  of  their  merry  com- 
panion. The  boys  wondered,  Marjorie  and  Evelyn 
guessed,  but  Jessie  knew!  The  latter,  being  a  true 
friend,  reached  down,  squeezed  Lucile's  hand  and 
whispered  fiercely.  "Be  sociable,  Lucy — you're  mak- 
ing them  curious." 

Thus  warned,  the  erstwhile  undaunted  little  torch 
bearer  of  the  camp-fire  Aloea,  drew  up  her  proud  lit- 
tle head  and  joined  in  the  conversation  with  the  best 
of  them.  For  the  next  hour  no  one  had  reason  to 
complain  of  her  reticence. 

"Tanike,"  called  the  guard  as  the  train  slipped 
from  the  station,  and  the  girls  knew  that  a  few  min- 
utes more  would  bring  them  to  their  destination.  Then 
began  the  hurried  putting  on  of  coats  and  the  wild 
scramble  for  baggage,  and  in  the  excitement  Lucile 
and  Jessie  had  an  opportunity  for  a  word  together. 

"Do  you  think  he'll  be  there?"  Lucile  whispered 
nervously.  "Oh,  Jessie,  do  you?" 

"Why,  of  course  he  will,"  Jessie  answered  prac- 


100  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

tically.  "You  don't  suppose  anything  could  keep  him 
away,  do  you  ? — especially  after  he  said  he'd  come." 

"I  know "  ' 

Jessie  gave  her  friend  a  quick  little  hug.  "If  you 
only  knew  how  pretty  you  look,  you  wouldn't  be  afraid 
of  anything.  Oh,  the  train's  stopping — Lucy,  there's 
Jack  now,  with  somebody  else — at  least  I  think  it 
was " 

But  Lucile  had  no  need  to  think — at  the  first  glance 
she  had  recognized  him — had  picked  him  out  from  all 
that  crowd  of  people — oh,  how  could  Jessie  think  she 
was  mistaken? 

"Come  on,  honey,"  cried  Jessie,  linking  her  arm 
joyfully  in  Lucile's.  "I'm  so  crazy  to  get  off  this  old 
train  I  don't  know  what  to  do.  Don't  push,  Phil — 
we'll  go  quietly!" 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE    ROAR    OF    THE    SURF 

LUCILE  was  vividly  alive  to  new  impressions  as  she 
allowed  Jessie  to  pilot  her  out  on  the  platform  and 
down  the  steps.  The  station  was  picturesque  with  its 
mob  of  laughing  humanity — pretty  girls  in  fluffy 
dresses  and  splendid  young  fellows  in  summer  flan- 
nels and  dark  coats.  And  the  best  of  it  was — every- 
body seemed  to  be  watching  for  somebody  else  to  ar- 
rive on  the  "five-fifteen." 

"There's  Jack  over  there,"  Jessie  pointed  out  as  they 
put  foot  on  the  station.  "He's  with  quite  a  crowd,  too 
— wonder  who  the  pretty  girl  is  he's  talking  to — oh, 
now  he  sees  us — hello,  Jack,"  she  called,  as  a  young 
man  disengaged  himself  from  the  laughing  group  and 
came  toward  them,  his  handsome  face  alight  and  his 
eyes  eager.  "You  thought  you  would  find  us  after 
all." 

"Find  you,"  Jack  echoed  as  he  dropped  his  cousin's 
welcoming  hands  and  turned  to  Lucile.  "I've  done 
nothing  else  but  look  ever  since  the  train  came  in 

sight,"  the  words  were  for  Jessie,  but  his  eyes  rested 

101 


102  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

on  Lucile's  radiant  upturned  face  as  though  he  could 
see  nothing  else  on  the  crowded  platform.  "Say,  it's 
good  to  see  you  again,"  he  said,  and  this  time  even 
the  words  were  for  Lucile. 

"Hello,  Jack,"  Phil  greeted,  coming  up  with  the  rest 
of  the  party.  "You  might  say  'howdy'  to  the  rest 
of  us  country  bumpkins,  you  know." 

"Give  him  a  chance,"  protested  Jessie.  "Besides 
we're  not " 

"Yes,  we  are,"  asserted  Phil,  whereupon  began  a 
lively  discussion,  not  shared  in  by  the  rest  of  the 
party. 

Jack  shook  hands  heartily  with  Mrs.  Wescott — he 
had  always  admired  her — and  indeed,  who  could  help 
it — and  after  becoming  acquainted  with  the  girls  and 
Jim  all  over  again,  suggested  that  the  newcomers  meet 
his  party. 

Mrs.  Wescott  hesitated.  "It's  pretty  late,"  she  de- 
murred, but  Jack  brushed  aside  this  objection  in  three 
words. 

"The  car's  waiting,"  he  said,  then  added  with  his 
quick  smile.  "I  thought  that  perhaps  we  might  be 
allowed  to  help  some — bring  provisions  from  the  vil- 
lage if  you  needed  them — and  we  thought,  perhaps, 


The  Roar  of  the  Surf  103 

there  might  be  an  invitation  for  dinner  floating  around 

somewhere "  his  eyes  rested  for  a  moment  on 

Lucile — and  indeed  his  were  not  the  only  ones — then 
traveled  hopefully  to  Mrs.  Wescott. 

The  latter  laughed  and  gave  in.  "If  you  don't 
mind  what  you  eat,"  she  capitulated. 

"We  don't  mind  if  you  give  us  stewed  sand,"  he 
agreed,  triumphantly.  "Now,  come  over  and  meet 
my  friends." 

He  slipped  his  arm  through  Lucile's,  guiding  her 
among  the  animated,  laughing  groups  of  young  people, 
many  of  whom  threw  him  a  merry  word  as  he  passed. 
He  seemed  to  know  everyone,  Lucile  thought  wonder- 
ingly — she  never  stopped  to  analyze  the  many  admir- 
ing glances  sent  in  her  direction. 

"Fate's  been  mighty  good  to  me,  Lucile,"  he  whis- 
pered once.  "I  couldn't  believe  my  luck  when  I  found 
you  were  coming  here.  You  see,  I'd  expected  a 
mighty  dull  summer  and  now " 

"And  now?"  she  questioned,  not  meeting  his  eyes. 

"I  think  you  ought  to  know  what  a  difference  you 
make  to  me,"  he  countered.  "Oh,  Lucile,  I'm " 

"Please,"  she  interrupted,  quickly.  "Here  are  your 
friends,  Jack." 


104  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

Now  Jack  Turnbull  had  acquired  through  the  years 
a  reputation  of  goodfellowship  and  unfailing  optim- 
ism that  had  won' him  friends  wherever  he  went,  yet 
now — he  could  not  deny  it — he  was  wishing  those 
same  friends  at  least  as  far  as  the  north  pole. 

Nevertheless,  his  smile  was  as  pleasant  as  ever,  as 
he  went  through  the  nerve-racking  task  of  introdu- 
cing everybody  to  everybody.  It  was  over  at  last,  the 
introducing  at  least,  and  Jack  had  excused  himself  to 
make  sure  the  car  was  still  there,  and  to  bring  it  around 
to  the  station. 

During  his  absence  the  newly-made  acquaintances 
found  themselves  conversing  like  old  friends.  There 
were  four  in  Jack's  party,  besides  himself — a  very 
pretty  fair-haired  girl  and  her  sister,  the  Misses  Peggy 
and  Daisy  Bright,  and  two  boys  about  Jack's  own 
age,  both  fine  looking  lads  and,  as  Jessie  afterward 
said,  "as  full  of  fun  as  the  day  is  long." 

By  this  time  Lucile  had  fully  recovered  from  the 
first  confusion  of  meeting  Jack,  and  was  her  own  ex- 
hilarated happy  self  again.  As  usual,  the  conversa- 
tion centered  about  her,  and  even  Peggy  Bright  looked 
at  her  wonderingly  once  or  twice.  Peggy,  with  all 
her  good  looks  and  artful  accomplishments,  had  never 


The  Roar  of  the  Surf  105 

been  able  to  draw  all  eyes,  as  did  this  country  girl 
from  —  where  had  Jack  said?  —  sounded  something 
like  a  fat  man  —  oh,  Burleigh,  that  was  it  —  and  she 
seemed  to  "get  away  with  it,"  too.  Why,  just  look 
at  Dan  Gordon,  making  himself  ridiculous  —  thus  com- 
muned Peggy  with  herself  while  Lucile  unconsciously 
laughed  at  the  despised  Dan  Gordon's  witticisms. 

"Oh,  Lucile,  I  have  an  idea  we  are  going  to  love 
this  place,"  Jessie  whispered,  in  a  joyful  little  aside. 
"The  girls  are  so  pretty  and  the  boys  so  nice  and—  oh, 
here  comes  Jack  again  —  a  bad  penny's  sure  to  turn 
up,"  this  last  quite  loud  enough  for  Jack  to  hear  as 
he  rejoined  them. 

"That's  a  nice  thing  to  say  to  your  only  beloved 
cousin,"  he  laughed.  "The  very  first  day  you  see  him, 
too.  Well,  Mrs.  Wescott,"  he  added,  turning  to  her, 
"the  old  car's  ready  whenever  you  are.  What  do  you 


"That  we  start,"  she  answered  promptly.  "I'm  anx- 
ious to  see  that  everything's  all  right  up  at  the  cottage 
—  even  though  I  have  enjoyed  becoming  acquainted 
immensely,"  she  added,  smiling  graciously  upon  their 
new  friends.  "I  hope  we  will  see  each  other  often." 

After  that  there  was  a  general  breaking  up  —  Dan 


106  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

Gordon  and  the  two  girls  starting  one  way  while  Jack 
and  his  cousin  prepared  to  go  with  our  party. 

"I'll  see  you  to-night  ?"  Peggy  was  asking  Jack,  and 
Lucile  could  not  help  but  overhear.  "You  know 
there's  a  big  dance  over  at  the  hotel.  You  can't  miss 
it,  Jack." 

Jack  hesitated  for  the  fraction  of  a  second,  then  his 
answer  came  decidedly.  "I'm  afraid  I'll  have  to  cut 
it  out  to-night,  Peggy,"  he  said.  "There  will  be  a 
great  many  more  dances  and  I'll  probably  not  be  able 
to  make  this  one." 

"Oh,"  was  the  girl's  only  comment  as  she  turned  to 
join  her  sister,  whom  Dan  was  helping  into  the  car. 

Jack  looked  after  her  for  a  moment,  frowning  a 
little,  then  turned  to  Lucile  with  a  smile.  "Sorry  to 
keep  everybody  waiting,"  he  cried.  "The  old  boat's 
over  this  way,  Phil.  Now  for  some  high  speed.  I 
hope  you  people  don't  mind  crowding  a  little." 

Upon  their  loudly  proclaiming  an  utter  disregard 
for  any  such  trifling  inconvenience,  Jack  flung  him- 
self into  the  seat  beside  Lucile  and  started  the  motor. 

"I  hope  you  don't  mind  sitting  up  in  front,"  he 
asked  her  as  the  car  shot  forward.  "It's  really  better 
close  up  to  the  windshield  than  in  the  tonneau.  I 
wonder  if  you're  half  as  glad  to  see  me  as  I  am  you," 


The  Roar  of  the  Surf  107 

he  added,  leaning  forward  a  little  to  get  a  better  view 
of  her  flushed  face  beneath  the  brim  of  the  rakishly- 
tflted  little  hat,  "are  you?"  he  insisted. 

"How  can  I  tell,"  she  evaded,  a  roguish  light  in  her 
eyes,  "since  I  don't  know  how  much  that  is?" 

"Are  you  quite  sure  you  don't?"  he  countered,  add- 
ing, as  she  shook  her  head  in  denial,  "then,  it's  plain  to 
be  seen  it's  my  duty  to  make  it  clear " 

"Not  now,  please,"  she  begged,  her  eyes  dancing. 
"We  have  the  whole  summer,  Jack — oh,  look,  there's 
the  ocean — look  girls!"  she  added,  turning  around  to 
the  animated  group  in  the  tonneau. 

"We've  been  looking,"  Jessie  flung  back.  "I'd  just 
like  to  run  into  it  up  to  my  neck.  Oh,  doesn't  that  surf 
look — beautiful!  Jack,  is  it  dangerous?" 

"Not  a  bit — if  you  don't  swallow  too  much  of  it," 
he  answered,  calmly. 

"Oh,  I  didn't  mean  that,  silly,"  she  cried  in  exas- 
peration. "I  meant,  are  there  any  holes  or  anything 
like  that — to  step  in  and  get  drowned — you  know." 

"Well,"  said  Jack  considering.  "We  haven't  any 
just  now,  but  we  might  get  some  if  you  give  us  time." 

"At  last  Jessie's  met  her  match,"  Evelyn  chuckled 
at  Jessie's  look  of  astonishment.  "Methinks  I  see  fun 
ahead." 


108  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

"Methinks  you'll  see  murder  instead,"  Jessie  contra- 
dicted, darkly.  "Jack,  you  almost  ran  over  that  dog," 
as  a  little  cur  scurried  to  one  side  of  the  road,  barking 
wildly. 

"That's  the  murder  we  almost  saw,"  he  commented 
calmly,  and  Phil  nearly  fell  out  of  the  car  in  his  appre- 
ciation, and  Jessie  joined  in  the  laughter  sheepishly. 

"Oh,  well,  when  you  have  a  cousin,"  she  surren- 
dered. "You  might  as  well  give  up  at  the  beginning. 
Just  the  same,  you  might  be  a  little  more  careful, 
Jack,"  she  cautioned.  "Another  swerve  like  that  is 
apt  to  scatter  us  along  the  wayside.  We're  seated  on 
the  ragged  edge  of  nothing  as  it  is." 

"Must  be  quite  an  accomplishment,"  Jack  laughed. 
"I'd  offer  you  my  seat  if  you  could  drive,  dear  cousin 
— which  you  can't" 

"Well,  you  needn't  tell  everybody  my  shortcomings, 
she  protested. 

"I  don't  have  to,"  he  murmured  when  Lucile  inter- 
rupted quickly. 

\ 

"It  isn't  very  much  farther,  anyway,  is  it?"  she 
questioned.  "It  seems  to  me  we  have  ridden  miles 
already." 

"Not  quite,"  he  answered.     "Your  cottage  is  just 


The  Roar  of  the  Surf  109 

around  the  bend  of  the  road.  You  see  that  little  prom- 
ontory that  extends  down  onto  the  beach?"  She 
nodded.  "Well,  that  sort  of  shuts  you  off  from  the 
rest  of  the  colony.  It's  the  coziest  little  cottage  in  the 
place,  I  think.  I've  been  imagining  you  in  it  ever 
since  I  heard  you  were  coming." 

As  he  spoke  the  car  took  the  curve  he  had  pointed 
out,  and  the  girls  cried  out  at  the  beauty  of  the  picture 
confronting  them.  Jack  slowed,  then  came  to  a  full 
stop,  while  they  sat  and  gazed  to  their  heart's  content. 

The  road  sloped  gently  down  to  a  shining  white 
beach  that  gathered  in  the  scorching  heat  of  the  af- 
ternoon sun  and  beat  it  back  upon  itself  with  a  thou- 
sandfold intensity  that  sent  the  eye  wandering  grate- 
fully to  the  cool  green  of  the  ocean  beyond.  The 
rhythmic  rise  and  fall  of  the  lazy  combers,  the  heavy 
pounding  of  the  surf  upon  the  beach,  even  the  intense, 
arching  turquoise  of  the  summer  sky,  all  was  infinitely 
peaceful,  infinitely  restful  and  refreshing.  And  in  the 
center  of  it  all  lay  the  cottage,  a  quaint  dash  of  red 
against  the  background  of  green  and  white. 

"Oh,  isn't  it  lovely?"  cried  Lucile,  and  turned  to 
find  Jack  regarding  her  with  a  whimsical  smile. 

"Yes,  you  are!"  he  said. 


'  CHAPTER  X 

MOONLIGHT 

SUPPER  was  over  and  the  young  folks  had  saun- 
tered out  on  the  veranda  to  talk  things  over  and,  inci- 
dentally, to  get  their  lungs  full  of  the  fresh  salt  air 
from  the  ocean. 

"Everything  has  just  gone  beautifully/'  was 
Evelyn's  heart-felt  comment,  and  so  indeed  it  had. 

Mr.  Wescott,  in  order  that  his  wife  should  have  no 
worry  during  her  much-needed  vacation,  had  sent 
down  a  middle-aged,  motherly-looking  person  to  take 
complete  charge  of  the  romantically  situated  little 
cottage. 

"And  the  best  of  it  is,"  Evelyn  remarked,  continuing 
her  soliloquy,  "that  nobody  had  the  slightest  suspicion 
until  we  got  here.  Such  a  wonderful  supper,  too." 

"You  said  it,"  Phil  approved.  "I  could  tell  by  the 
look  in  that  woman's  eye  she  was  a  good  cook." 

"Humph,"  grunted  Jessie,  the  skeptical.  "I  don't 
believe  you  even  looked  at  her — you  were  too  much 

occupied  with  eating — as  usual." 

no 


Moonlight  111 

"Dearest  coz,"  said  Jack,  joining  in  the  conversa- 
tion from  his  perch  beside  Lucile.  "Frankness  is  a 
virtue  at  times — we  all  admit " 

"Then  why  argue,"  Jessie  interrupted.  "If  we  all 
agree,  argument's  a  waste  of  time." 

"Just  so,"  he  continued,  unmoved.  "I  did  not  in- 
tend to  start  an  argument — I  was  merely  stating  a 
fact.  As  I  was  saying,  frankness  in  itself  is  admirable, 
nothing  more  so " 

"Oh,  Jack,"  Jessie  was  protesting,  when  Phil 
checked  her  with  an  uplifted  hand. 

"Let  him  finish,"  he  commanded.  "This  promises 
to  be  interesting." 

"But  often,"  Jack  continued,  in  true  orator  style. 
"But  often  other  and  less  commendable  characteris- 
tics  " 

"Goodness,  it  does  run  in  the  family,"  Lucile  mur- 
mured hysterically,  and  Jack  gave  her  a  reproachful 
glance. 

"What  runs  in  the  family,"  he  demanded.  "Out 
with  it,  base  slanderer.  I  remember  hearing  about 
somebody  way  back  that  won  a  Marathon,"  he  added, 
hopefully.  "Maybe  that's  the  fellow  you're  thinking 
of." 


112  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"I  don't  see  why  everybody  laughs,"  said  Jessie, 
trying  in  vain  to  straighten  the  corners  of  her  mouth. 
"When  anybody  tries  so  hard  to  be  funny " 

"He  usually  succeeds,"  Jack  finished,  and  Phil 
stopped  laughing  to  clap  him  enthusiastically  on  the 
back. 

"I  have  to  hand  it  to  you,  old  man,"  he  compli- 
mented. "Anybody  that  can  go  Jessie  one  better  is 
nothing  short  of  a  genius." 

"Then  we  ought  to  be  a  mighty  talented  party," 
Evelyn  remarked,  dryly. 

"Never  mind,  Jessie,  dear,"  Lucile  gasped,  when 
she  could  get  her  breath.  "He  who  laughs  last,  you 
know "  and  went  off  into  fresh  gales  of  laughter. 

"Yes,  that's  all  right,"  Jessie  commented,  ruefully, 
when  the  merriment  had  somewhat  subsided.  "But 
nobody  ever  made  up  a  proverb  about  the  person  who 
laughs  first,  last  and  all  the  time.  I  think  it's  up  to  me 
to  begin." 

"Go  ahead,  Jessie,  I'll  help,"  Lucile  was  beginning 
when  she  interrupted  herself  suddenly.  "Jack,  what 
was  that?"  she  cried.  "I  thought  I  heard  a  bark — it 

sounded  like — listen "  and  for  a  moment  there 

was  dead  silence  while  everybody  listened  for  a  rep- 


Moonlight  113 

etition  of  the  sound.  Nobody  noticed  that  Jim  had 
disappeared. 

"Are  you  sure  you  weren't  dreaming,  Lucy?"  Mar- 
jorie  inquired  lazily  when  they  had  listened  in  vain. 
"It  might  have  been  the  surf,  you  know." 

"Yes,"  Lucile  admitted,  sweetly.  "Or  it  might  have 
been  an  alligator — they  both  make  noises  so  extremely 

like  a  dog !  There  it  is  again — now  I  know "  and 

she  was  on  her  feet  as  a  shaggy  ball  of  black  fur 
bounded  around  the  side  of  the  house  and  up  the  steps 
frantically. 

"Jeddie,"  she  almost  screamed,  hugging  the  wrig- 
gling little  animal  fiercely.  "Oh,  it's  our  dear  little 
old  Jeddie — you  darling,"  and  the  happy  dog  tried  to 
show  his  appreciation  by  a  series  of  spasmodic  efforts 
to  reach  her  face  with  his  pink  tongue. 

The  girls,  who  had  stood  spellbound  by  the  sudden 
turn  events  had  taken,  found  their  voices  all  at  once 
and  broke  into  a  babble  of  excited  questions  and  an- 
swers and  delighted  exclamations  that  made  the  boys 
beg  for  mercy. 

"A  little  less  noise,  please,"  Phil  begged,  striving 
to  make  his  voice  heard  above  the  din.  "You  never 
were  half  so  glad  to  see  us  as  you  are  that  dog." 


114  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"If  you'll  show  us  any  good  reason  why  we  should 
be,"  Jessie  remarked,  "we'll  promise  to  consider  it." 

"Strike  one,"  '  laughed  Jack's  cousin — who  had 
begged  to  join  the  party  and  had  been  admitted.  The 
latter  was  not  good  looking,  but,  as  Evelyn  had  re- 
marked, he  had  "nice  hair  and  a  sweet  disposition," 
and  so  had  been  welcomed  enthusiastically.  "If  you 
keep  that  up,  Miss  Sanderson,  it  won't  take  long  to 
even  the  score." 

"Thanks,  a  little  encouragement  always  helps,"  she 
laughed. 

"You're  the  one  that's  responsible  for  this,"  said 
Marjorie,  turning  accusing  eyes  upon  her  guardian. 
"It  seems  to  me  there's  just  been  one  round  of  joyful 
surprises  so  far.  I  wonder  what  the  next  will  be." 

"Jeddie,  come  here,"  Lucile  wheedled,  and,  nothing 
loth,  the  happy,  excited  little  animal  pranced  up  and 
responded  to  her  caresses,  with  his  whole  worship- 
ing, doggie  soul  in  his  eyes.  "You  look  just  the  same 
as  the  last  day  we  saw  you  and  that's  two  whole  years 
ago.  You're  the  very  darlingest  little  dog  that  ever 
lived." 

"He's  the  luckiest,  anyway,"  Jack  murmured  under 
his  breath,  and  Lucile  laughed  up  at  him  wickedly. 


Moonlight  115 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?"  she  chal- 
lenged, and  then  her  gaze  suddenly  wandered  ocean- 
ward. 

"If  you  girls  can  tear  yourselves  away  from  the  hero 
of  the  occasion,"  Phil  was  saying,  "I  might  suggest 
that  we  take  a  little  walk  along  the  beach.  The  moon's 
due  to  rise  in  about  half  an  hour,  and  I'd  like  to  see  it 
from  yon  jutting  crag!" 

"Goodness,  isn't  he  romantic?"  Marjorie  murmured. 
"Why  couldn't  we  see  it  just  as  well  from  here  ?" 

"I  guess  Phil  wants  the  atmosphere,"  Jack  ex- 
plained, rising  lazily  and  looking  about  him.  "I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  he  has  the  right  idea  at  that. 
What  do  you  say,  Mrs.  Wescott  ?" 

"That  I  agree  with  you,"  she  answered,  laugh- 
ingly. "The  moon  can't  be  half  appreciated  down 
here.  Come,  I'll  play  the  chaperone." 

Lucile  hugged  her  warmly  as  they  started  down  the 
steps.  "You're  such  a  dear,"  she  whispered.  "You 
always  know  just  what  we  want.  Jeddie  can  come, 
too,  can't  he?" 

"Of  course,"  laughed  her  guardian,  "he  can  keep 
the  chaperone  company.  Come  on,  Jed."  The  little 
dog  needed  no  further  invitation,  but  scampered  along 


116  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

contentedly,  sometimes  behind  them,  sometimes  in 
front  of  them,  but  always  within  calling  distance. 

Jack  and  Lucile  lingered  a  little  behind  the  others. 

"Isn't  it  wonderful?"  she  breathed,  looking  out  to 
where  the  ocean  stretched  vast  and  illimitable,  in  the 
thick  gloom  of  night.  "I've  just  dreamed  and  dreamed 
of  it  for  the  last  week.  You  see,  I've  never  really 
been  at  the  seashore  before." 

"Yet  the  ocean  shouldn't  seem  a  stranger  after  all 
the  time  you — and  I — spent  on  it  last  year,"  Jack  re- 
minded her.  "It  was  fun — even  when  there  was  pros- 
pect of  being  captured  by  the  enemy." 

Lucile  laughed  softly.  "That  was  the  best  part  of 
it,"  she  said.  "Or,  at  least,  it  seems  so  as  I  look  back 
over  it  We  girls  were  frightened  that  night,  though, 
and  no  mistake." 

"So  were  we — for  you.  That  capturing  stuff 
sounds  good  as  long  as  it  doesn't  happen  to  somebody 
you  care  about.  I  tell  you,  I  was  glad  when  good  old 
New  York  harbor  loomed  in  sight  the  morning  after." 
Jack  was  very  serious. 

"I  guess  we  all  were,"  she  answered  in  a  voice  that 
matched  his.  "Anybody  would  have  thought  so  by 
the  way  they  sang  the  Star-Spangled  Banner.  As 


Moonlight  117 

things  have  turned  out,  Dad  was  just  right  to  hustle 
us  back  to  America — even  if  I  didn't  agree  with  him 
at  the  time." 

"You  were  a  disappointed  little  bit  of  misery,"  he 
chuckled  at  the  memory.  "Switzerland  seemed  bigger 
to  you  then  than  anything  else  in  the  world.  The 
others  have  chosen  a  very  romantic  seat,"  he  added, 
looking  up  to  the  little  jutting  isthmus  where  the  party 
had  settled  themselves  comfortably.  "But  I  know  a 
better  one — it's  just  a  few  steps  further  on.  We'll 
ask  Mrs.  Wescott  if  she  objects  to  our  staying  there — 
that  is,  if  you'd  just  as  soon,"  he  added,  looking  down 
at  her  in  pleading  inquiry. 

"As  long  as  we  can  talk  to  them,"  she  consented, 
"lead  on.  I'd  trust  your  judgment  every  time,  Jack." 

Having  received  Mrs.  Wescott's  permission,  Jack 
at  once  proceeded  to  make  his  pretty  charge  comfort- 
able. When  he  had  settled  her  in  a  three-cornered 
little  nook — all  arranged,  as  he  had  said,  by  the  gods 
themselves — she  leaned  back  and  closed  her  eyes  with 
a  contented  little  sigh. 

"Happy?"  he  queried. 

"If  you  had  had  the  journey  through  the  heat  in  a 
crowded  old  train,  that  we  have,"  she  half  evaded, 


118  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

"you'd  appreciate  this  just  the  way  I  do,  Jack.  Oh, 
the  air — the  blessed,  cool " 

"Hold  on,"  "he  entreated.  "Why  waste  all  those 
endearing  epithets  on  the  air — it  doesn't  appreciate 
them  half  as  much  as  I  would." 

She  laughed,  looking  down  at  him  with  the  same 
sparkling  mischief  in  her  eyes  that  he  knew  and  re- 
membered so  well.  Even  in  the  dark  he  could  tell 
just  how  she  looked. 

"When  you  come  to  think  of  it  a  good  many  things 
do  get  wasted,  don't  they?"  she  mocked.  "Jed's  bark- 
ing at  something  again — I  wonder  where  he  is,"  and 
she  lifted  her  head  to  look  about  her. 

"If  you  call  that  dog  over  here,"  he  threatened, 
darkly,  "I  give  you  fair  warning,  I'll  show  him  no 
mercy !" 

"Poor  little  Jeddie,"  she  chuckled.  "He's  too  young 
for  a  watery  grave.  Besides,  you  couldn't  drown  him 
if  you  tried — he  swims  like  a  fish — lots  better,  in  fact, 
than  some  people  I  know,"  she  added,  wickedly. 

"If  you're  insinuating  that  I  don't  know  how  to 
swim,  young  lady,"  he  admonished  severely,  "you've 
come  to  the  wrong  market.  Why,  I  might  even  beat 
that  dog  of  yours." 


Moonlight  119 

"Quite  a  big  proposition,"  she  warned  him,  soberly. 
"However,  you'll  probably  have  plenty  of  chances  to 
prove  it.  Goodness,  just  to  speak  of  the  water  makes 
me  jealous." 

"We'll  have  to  test  it  down  this  way  to-morrow," 
he  half  suggested,  half  asserted.  "Lucile,  are  you  glad 
to  see  me?"  he  asked,  so  suddenly  that  she  started. 

"Why,  a — of  course,"  she  stammered.  "Goodness, 
you  should  give  me  warning  when  you're  going  to 
switch  off  like  that,  Jack— I " 

"You — what?"  he  prompted. 

"Oh — nothing,"  she  evaded,  and  then  smiled  a  little 
uncertainly.  "It's — very — natural  to  be — glad  to  see 
— old  friends,  isn't  it?"  she  added,  desperate  at  her 
confusion. 

"I  suppose  so,"  he  sighed,  letting  his  gaze  roam  out 
over  the  water  while  she  studied  him  covertly.  "Only 
I've  felt  anything  but  natural  for  the  last  few  days. 
My  feet  haven't  been  behaving  right — I  can't  seem 
to  make  them  touch  the  ground.  I  suppose  yours 
haven't  been  affected  like  that,  have  they?"  he  added, 
looking  up  hopefully. 

"Why,  it  seems  to  me  they  have  been  sort  of — sort 
of — flighty,"  she  confessed,  looking  down  at  her  trim 


120  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

little  shoes  as  though  to  find  the  answer  there.  "But 
you  see,  I  thought  it  was  just  the  prospect  of  the 
summer " 

"Exactly — that's  just  the  way  it  is  with  me,"  he 
agreed,  enthusiastically.  "Quite  a  coincidence,  isn't 
it?  But,  really,  Lucile,"  he  added,  waxing  serious 
again.  "I've  had  all  I  could  do  to  keep  from  jumping 
in  the  machine,  heading  it  toward  New  York,  kid- 
napping you  and  bringing  you  back  with  me  to 
Tanike!" 

"And  all  that  just  to  save  a  few  days'  delay,"  Lucile 
murmured  in  feigned  surprise.  "It  would  have  been 
romantic,  though,"  she  conceded.  "No  wonder  you 
and  Phil  agree  so  well." 

"Would  you  have  come?"  he  persisted. 

"Why,  of  course,"  she  answered,  unhesitatingly. 
"I'm  sure  we  would  all  have  enjoyed  riding  in  an  auto 
much  better  than  that  old  train " 

"Oh,"  he  moaned,  kicking  a  stone  into  the  water 
savagely.  "I  don't  think  you  have  a  heart,  Lucile. 
How  many  do  you  think  that  machine  of  mine  will 
hold,  anyway?" 

"Why,  how  should  I  know,"  she  said  demurely, 
adding  with  a  little  gasp  of  delight  as  a  faint  silver 


Moonlight  121 

rim  appeared  above  the  line  where  sky  and  water 

met "  Oh,  Jack,  look — it's  the  moon.  I  don't 

think  I  ever  saw  it  rise  like  that  before.  Oh,  isn't 
it  beautiful !" 

Slowly,  as  they  watched  spellbound  this  ever  new 
miracle  of  the  universe,  the  silver  disk  sailed  higher 
in  the  starlit  velvet  of  the  sky,  shedding  its  milky  ra- 
diance over  the  dark  water  and  making  a  fairy  path 
of  moonbeams  that  ended  almost  at  their  feet.  The 
pounding  of  the  surf  upon  the  beach,  the  calm,  the 
infinite  majesty  of  the  moon-lit  waters  all  combined 
to  throw  a  spell  upon  them  which  they  were  strangely 
loth  to  break.  Suddenly  Lucile  turned  to  Jack  with 
a  happy  smile. 

"Just  think — a  whole  month  of  this,"  she  whispered. 

"You  said  it !"  was  his  reply.  The  answer,  although 
perhaps  a  trifle  slangy,  lacked  nothing  in  fervor. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A    MODERN    CINDERELLA 

LUCILE  looked  cautiously  about  her,  sighed  with 
satisfaction  and  slipped  one  small  foot  from  beneath 
the  covers.  Stealth  was  not  one  of  her  characteristics, 
and  yet,  here  she  was,  the  very  personification  of  it. 

The  girls  had  chosen  the  big  front  room  of  the  cot- 
tage— so  that  they  could  all  be  together.  There  was 
an  alcove  at  one  end,  a  pretty,  cozy  little  place,  con- 
taining Lucile's  and  Jessie's  bed,  and  the  other  two 
girls  slept  in  the  main  room.  The  friends  had  been 
delighted  at  this  arrangement,  for  the  alcove  gave  the 
impression  of  two  rooms,  while  in  reality  they  were 
all  in  one. 

And  so,  on  this  bright  morning,  with  the  sun  making 
dazzling  patches  of  light  all  over  the  room,  and  the 
murmur  of  the  surf  calling  to  her  irresistibly,  Lucile 
decided  to  steal  a  march  on  the  girls.  In  vain  had 
she  closed  her  dark  eyes  in  a  vigorous  wooing  of  the 
fickle  god,  Morpheus,  in  vain  had  she  tried  to  imitate 

122 


A  Modern  Cinderella  123 

her  sleeping  companions — oh,  she  could  not  lie  there 
and  do  nothing,  with  the  sun  and  the  sky  and  the 
ocean  all  calling  to  her;  she  just  could  not! 

"And  I  won't,"  she  had  confided,  to  nobody  in  par- 
ticular, and  then  and  there  began  the  desperate  adven- 
ture of  "stealing  a  march." 

The  tentative  foot  stole  out  farther,  farther  still, 
until  it  touched  the  floor — the  other  followed  quickly 
and  she  sood  there  for  a  moment  listening  for  any 
sound  other  than  their  regular  breathing.  None  came, 
and,  a  little  reassured,  she  began  to  dress  hurriedly. 
When,  finally,  she  had  slipped  over  her  head  a  dainty 
silk  blouse  adorned  with  a  tie  of  rainbow  hue  and 
coaxed  her  pretty  curls  into  some  semblance  of  order, 
she  opened  the  door  softly  and  slipped  out,  closing  it 
after  her  with  the  utmost  caution.  It  was  the  matter 
of  a  moment  to  slip  out  on  the  porch  and,  once  there 
she  stretched  out  her  arms  with  a  glad  little  cry  of 
freedom. 

"Oh,  how  can  they  sleep !"  she  marveled.  "They  just 
don't  know  what  they're  missing,  that's  all.  Oh,  you 
beautiful  old  ocean — if  I  only  had  my  bathing  suit  on 
now." 

She  ran  down  on  the  sand  and  began  to  play  with 


124  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

it  as  only  a  person  will  who  has  never  had  the  chance 
before.  She  was  deeply  absorbed  in  fashioning  a 
house  with  gardens  all  about  it,  when  a  cold  nose 
nudged  her  hand  and  she  turned  to  find  Jeddie  at  her 
elbow,  wagging  his  tail  as  though  on  a  wager  and 
looking  up  expectantly  into  her  face. 

"Come  here,  you  dog,"  she  cried,  hugging  him  de- 
lightedly. "Thank  goodness,  there's  one  early  riser 
in  this  crowd  beside  me.  "We  ought  to  have  great 
times,  old  boy.  First  of  all,  tell  me  how  you  like  my 
new  house." 

The  dog  regarded  her  pointed  finger  with  canine 
gravity  for  a  second  or  two,  then  covered  up  his  con- 
fusion by  barking  wildly  and  capering  about  and  upon 
the  newly  erected  mansion,  thereby  completely  demol- 
ishing it. 

"Oh,  Jeddie,  Jeddie,  after  all  my  work,"  mourned 
Lucile.  "How  could  you  treat  me  so."  Then,  with 
sudden  compunction,  at  his  look  of  doggie  bewilder- 
ment, she  bowled  him  over  in  the  sand,  sending  him 
into  an  ecstasy  of  joyful  barking  and  cavorting. 

"Come  on,  Jed,"  said  his  young  whirlwind  of  a 
mistress,  jumping  to  her  feet  and  making  for  the  little 
promontory  from  which  they  had  seen  the  moon  rise 


A  Modern  Cinderella  125 

only  the  night  before.  "I  want  to  see  what's  on  the 
other  side  of  this  barrier.  Perhaps  we'll  find  a  buried 
treasure  or  something.  Come  on,  I'll  give  you  a  race, 
and  beat  you  too." 

If  the  dog  had  not  looked  back  so  much  he  might 
have  won — as  it  was,  both  dog  and  mistress  reached 
the  goal  at  exactly  the  same  minute. 

"Let's  see  what  kind  of  a  mountaineer  you  are, 
Jeddie,"  she  challenged,  clambering  up  the  rocks  with 
astonishing  ease.  "I  feel  like  an  adventurer  on  an 
'errand  of  extreme  danger/  as  they  say  in  books. 
You'll  have  to  be  my  protector,  Jeddie — how  about  it? 
I  guess  you  need  a  little  help  yourself,"  she  added, 
lifting  him  up  to  ground  level.  "Now,  for  the  descent 
on  the  other  side." 

So,  happily,  they  clambered  down  until  Lucile  was 
near  enough  the  ground  to  jump.  This  she  did,  and 
came  up  with  a  start  of  surprise.  Somebody  had  ut- 
tered a  sharp  cry  of  alarm  and  Lucile  turned  quickly 
to  discover  the  source. 

Not  two  feet  away,  in  fact,  so  near  that  Lucile  could 
have  touched  her  by  stretching  out  her  arm,  stood  a 
girl,  apparently  about  her  own  age,  hand  on  heart  and 
poised  for  flight,  if  occasion  required. 


126  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

Lucile  sighed  relievedly.  "Oh,  I'm  sorry,"  she 
apologized,  her  bright  smile  flashing  out,  "I  must  have 
startled  you  terribly." 

"It's  a — all  right,"  murmured  the  stranger,  and  Lu- 
cile wondered  if  it  were  bashfulness  that  kept  her  eyes 
riveted  on  the  sand.  "I  guess  I'll  be  going — back, 
now,"  and  she  would  have  gone  without  another  word 
had  not  Lucile  stopped  her. 

"Oh,  please  don't,"  she  begged,  and  the  friendly  note 
in  her  voice  made  the  strange  girl  glance  up  quickly. 
"It's  really  my  place  to  go  back,  you  know,  since  I'm 
the  intruder.  But  can't  we  talk  awhile?  You  see, 
I've  sort  of  gotten  the  idea  that  I  was  the  only  person 
in  the  world,"  she  continued,  as  the  stranger  hesi- 
tated, "who  ever  wanted  to  get  up  early,  and  when  I 
find  somebody  like  myself,  I  hate  to  let  her  go  without 
becoming  acquainted.  Please  sit  down,  and  let's  have 
a  little  chat." 

The  girl  hesitated  another  moment,  then  smiled 
faintly  and  accepted  the  invitation.  Lucile  thought 
she  had  never  seen  anyone  quite  so  shy  in  her  life, 
and  she  longed  with  all  her  warm  young  heart  to  put 
this  new  acquaintance  at  her  ease. 

"Do  you  live  at  the  hotel?"  she  began  tentatively. 


A  Modern  Cinderella  127 

''You  see,  we  only  arrived  yesterday,  so  we  really 
don't  know  anybody  outside  our  own  party." 

"Yes,"  the  girl  replied,  thawing  a  little  beneath 
Lucile's  warm  friendliness — none  could  long  resist  it. 
"I  am  staying  at  the  hotel  with  my  uncle.  You — must 
— be,"  she  hesitated,  seemingly  overcome  with  shyness, 
then  continued,  breathlessly.  "You  must  be  one  of  the 
people  who  have  taken  the  new  cottage." 

"The  very  same,"  Lucile  agreed,  sunnily.  "We 
haven't  even  had  time  to  look  around  us  yet,  but  I 
guess  we'll  remedy  that,  soon  enough.  Have  you  been 
here  long?" 

"About  three  weeks,"  was  the  answer,  and  this  time 
the  girl  ventured  a  longer  look  at  Lucile. 

"Then  you  must  know  about  everybody,"  the  latter 
ventured. 

The  girl  shook  her  head  in  denial.  "I  don't  know 
anybody,"  she  broke  out  petulantly.  "I  can't  dance 
and  I  can't  do  the  things  the  other  girls  do,  so  nobody 
has  any  use  for  me.  So  I  just  come  out  here  like  this 
and — and  read.  If  they  don't  want  me — I  .don't  want 
them." 

Lucile  was  silent  for  a  moment,  considering  the  best 
way  to  approach  this  strange  girl,  who  sat  now  with 


128  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

her  eyes  fixed  steadily  upon  the  glaring  sand.  She 
was  not  bad-looking,  Lucile  reflected,  even  with  that 
ridiculous  apology  for  a  dress  and  her  hair  drawn 
tight  back  from  her  forehead  like  a  woman  of  forty. 
She  had  pretty  hair — soft  brown  with  touches  of  gold 
here  and  there  where  the  sun  touched  it — pretty  hair 
that  might  have  framed  the  oval  face  effectively  had 
it  been  allowed  some  freedom.  On  the  moment  Lucile 
made  up  her  mind. 

"Perhaps,"  she  suggested  in  a  friendly  comraderie 
of  tone  that  made  the  girl  glance  up  in  surprise,  "per- 
haps you  don't  give  the  other  girls  half  a  chance. 
Perhaps  they  think  you  don't  want  to  make  friends." 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  the  stranger  answered  doubt- 
fully. "Even  if  that  is  so,  I  don't  see  how  I'm  going 
to  make  them  think  any  differently — I  can't  hang  out 
a  sign.  Anyway,  it  doesn't  bother  me,"  she  added, 
with  a  defiance  that  showed  the  depth  of  the  hurt 
beneath. 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you  something  I've  found  out,"  Lu- 
cile began,  in  her  confidential,  girl  fashion.  "The 
more  you  take  it  for  granted  that  people  like  you,  the 
more  they  will — because  then,  you  see,  you  aren't 
afraid  to  tell  them  how  fond  you  are  of  them  yourself. 


A  Modern  Cinderella  129 

And,  of  course,  on  the  other  hand,  if  you  hold  on  to 
the  idea  that  nobody  likes  you,  you  seem  reserved  and 
cool,  and  people  are  afraid  to  offer  you  any  friendship 
for  fear  you  won't  accept.  You  see,  you  have  to  look 
at  things  from  all  sides." 

The  girl  was  staring  at  her  wide  eyed.  "I  never 
thought  of  it  like  that  before,''  she  mused.  "Then 
you  mean  that  anybody  can  have  friends  if  she  only 
makes  people  think  she  wants  them." 

"Exactly,"  Lucile  agreed,  delighted  at  the  success 
of  her  tactics.  "Why,  I've  often  found  that  a  person 
I've  stood  in  awe  of  for  years — thinking  them  cold  and 
reserved  and  unfriendly — has  suddenly,  through  some 
emergency,  shown  her  real  self  and  surprised  every- 
body. I  wish  you'd  start  in  by  being  friends  with 
me"  she  added,  impulsively. 

The  stranger  regarded  her  for  a  moment,  doubt  and 
uncertainty  struggling  with  the  almost  resistless  ap- 
peal, Lucile  made  to  girls  of  her  own  age,  then  spoke 
slowly. 

"If  it's  pity,"  she  began. 

"Oh,  my  dear,"  Lucile  brushed  the  thought  aside  as 
unworthy  of  conception.  "You  ought  to  know  it  isn't 
that.  It  isn't  pity  I'm  offering — it's  just  friendship. 


130  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

I  wish  you'd  take  it,"  she  repeated  with  a  bright  smile 
that  brought  all  the  other  girl's  fortress  of  reserve 
tumbling  down  about  her  with  a  crash. 

"I  will,"  she  agreed,  impulsively.  "You're  the  first 
person  who  has  treated  me  like  a  human  being,  and 
not  a  piece  of  furniture,  since  I  came.  "Oh,"  she 
added,  the  old  resentment  returning,  "If  I  could  only 
make  those  old  cats  feel  for  one  day  what  I've  felt  for 
the  last  three  weeks,  I  could  die  happy." 

Lucile  laughed  gaily.  "I  wouldn't  be  so  hard  on 
them  if  I  were  you,"  she  admonished.  "Just  try  my 
little  remedy  and  see  if  it  doesn't  work.  Besides,  on 
a  day  like  this  it  seems  impossible  for  anybody  to  be 
unhappy." 

The  girl  stole  a  sideways  glance  at  her  companion. 
The  same  wind  that  had  loosened  Lucile's  hair  and 
sent  it  in  distracting  little  tendrils  about  her  face  had 
heightened  her  color  and  brightened  her  eager  eyes 
until  she  seemed  the  very  spirit  of  the  day. 

No  wonder  the  girl  sighed  as  she  answered  thought- 
fully. "I  guess  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  be  unhappy. 
You  have  just  about  everything,  friends,  and " 

"Oh,  you  should  see  the  way  I  left  them,"  Lucile 
chuckled,  her  thoughts  reverting  to  the  three  sleeping 
beauties,  whom  she  had  deserted  so  shamelessly. 


A  Modern  Cinderella  131 

"When  they  wake  and  find  I've  turned  up  missing, 
there'll  be  a  riot  or  something." 

"And  you  left  them  sleeping  on  a  morning  like  this," 
asked  the  girl,  with  an  incredulity  in  her  tone  that 
made  Lucile  turn  to  her  enthusiastically. 

"I  knew  we  were  going  to  be  friends,"  she  cried. 
"Will  you  please  shake  hands?" 

The  girl  obeyed,  though  she  seemed  a  trifle  puzzled 
at  the  peremptory  command.  Lucile  proceeded  to  ex- 
plain. 

"You  see,"  she  went  on.  "The  other  members  of 
our  respected  party  are,  I  must  confess  it,  very  lazy. 
They  never  know  when  to  go  to  bed  at  night  and 
never  know  when  to  get  up  in  the  morning.  Conse- 
quently, I  either  have  to  He  in  bed  when  I  don't  want 
to  or  get  up  alone." 

The  girl  smiled — a  smile  that  banished  the  sullen 
look  and  made  her  a  different  person  entirely.  "That's 
pretty  hard  luck,"  she  conceded,  "but,  even  at  that, 
you're  better  off  than  I  am,"  indicating  Jed,  who  had 
curled  up  at  Lucile' s  feet  and  was  lazily  engaged  in 
snapping  at  an  occasional  fly  that  came  his  way.  "I 
haven't  even  a  dog." 

"Well,  you  have  now,"  Lucile  returned  practically. 
"Jeddie  loves  everybody  I  love — don't  you,  Jed?" 


132  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

At  this  appeal  the  little  dog  turned  his  soft  eyes  up- 
ward in  mute  approval  of  anything  his  young  mistress 
might  say,  and  sealed  his  consent  with  a  prodigious 
yawn. 

"Lucile,  Lucile,  where  are  you?" 

The  three  members  of  the  little  party  jumped  to 
their  feet  simultaneously  and  Lucile' s  laughing  gaze 
met  the  startled  one  of  her  companion. 

"Only  the  beginning  of  the  search  party,"  she  as- 
sured her.  "I  suppose  I'll  have  to  run  back  now  and 
let  them  know  I'm  still  alive.  Won't  you  come  with 
me?" 

The  girl  seemed  panic  stricken  at  the  mere  sugges- 
tion. The  old  bashfulness  returned  with  a  twofold 
intensity  and  she  picked  up  the  book  she  had  been 
reading,  stuffing  it  into  her  pocket  with  nervous  haste. 

"Oh,  no,  no,  no,"  she  reiterated,  "thank  you  just  as 
much,  but  I'll  have  to  get  back  to  the  hotel — father  will 
worry — I " 

"Well,  if  you  must,"  Lucile  admitted,  cheerily,  "it 
can't  be  helped.  Will  I  see  you  here  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, then?" 

"Yes,  I  always  come  here  early,"  then  as  an  inquisi- 
tive head,  crowned  with  a  mass  of  fair  hair,  appeared 


A  Modern  Cinderella  133 

over  the  rocky  barrier,  she  fled  precipitately  without 
even  a  backward  look. 

"Here  she  is,  girls,"  Jessie  called  from  her  vantage 
point.  "You'd  better  bring  a  rope — she  may  not  go 
peaceably."  Then,  turning  to  Lucile,  who  was  still 
looking  after  the  retreating  figure  of  the  girl,  she 
added.  "Who's  your  friend,  Lucy?" 

Lucile  shook  her  head  and  looked  up  with  a  rueful 
little  smile.  "I  don't  know,"  she  confessed.  "I  didn't 
ask  her!" 


CHAPTER  XII 

A   RIFT   IN    THE   LUTE 

THE  girls,  rosy  and  breathless,  marshaled  Lucile 
between  them  and  hustled  her  toward  the  cottage. 

"You've  scared  our  guardian  almost  to  death,"  Mar- 
jorie  scolded.  "She  isn't  as  used  to  your  wandering 
habits  as  we  are." 

"Why,  she  even  thought  you  might  have  walked  in 
your  sleep  and  tumbled  into  the  water,"  Evelyn  con- 
tinued the  reproach.  "Next  time  you  had  better  leave 
a  note  behind." 

Lucile  laughed  blithely.  "I'm  sorry  I  startled  our 
guardian,"  she  said,  "but  as  for  you  girls,  it  served 
you  just  right.  If  you  would  only  wake  up  at  a  re- 
spectable hour  I  wouldn't  have  to  go  wandering  around 
all  alone." 

"Well,  you  weren't  alone  when  I  first  saw  you," 
Jessie  broke  in.  "You  haven't  told  us  who  the  mys- 
terious stranger  is  yet." 

"There  isn't  anything  very  mysterious  about  her, 
as  far  as  I  can  see,"  Lucile  answered,  then,  as  she 

caught  sight  of  her  guardian's  relieved  face,  she  cried 

134 


A  Rift  in  the  Lute  135 

out,  impulsively.  "Oh,  it  was  terribly  thoughtless  of 
me  to  go  off  without  a  word — but  you  see,  I  didn't 
intend  to  stay  so  long." 

"She  met  somebody,"  Evelyn  volunteered  for  Mrs. 
Wescott's  benefit-  'And  she  won't  tell  us  a  thing." 

"It  was  only  a  ^irl,"  Lucile  hastened  to  explain  as 
her  guardian  turned  worried  eyes  upon  her.  "And  a 
very  shy  bit  of  a  thing  she  was,  too." 

"Well,  go  on,  go  on,"  Jessie  urged.  "You  always 
start  to  say  interesting  things  and  then  stop  short 
before  you've  said  them." 

"I  tell  you  what  we'll  do,"  Mrs.  Wescott  proposed, 
knowing  surely  what  would  appeal  to  the  girls.  "We'll 
eat  some  nice  fruit  and  bacon  and  eggs — breakfast  has 
been  ready  for  some  time — then  perhaps  Lucile  will 
be  able  to  tell  her  story  better." 

The  suggestion  was  received  with  approval  on  all 
sides,  as  Jessie  said,  and  the  girls  trooped  into  the 
sunny  dining  room.  Then,  over  the  promised  bacon 
and  eggs,  they  turned  expectant  eyes  upon  Lucile. 

"Can't  you  talk  and  eat  at  the  same  time?"  Evelyn 
demanded.  "Really,  we're  dying  to  hear  about  that 
girl,  Lucile." 

"All  right,  pass  me  over  another  biscuit,  Jessie  dear, 


136  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

and  I'll  try  to  oblige — thank  you,"  with  which  she 
launched  into  a  spirited  description  of  her  meeting 
with  the  new  girl.  "So  you  see,"  she  ended,  "it's  our 
plain  duty  to  take  this  girl  in  as  one  of  us  and  give 
her  a  good  time." 

"But  suppose  she  refuses  to  be  taken  in,"  Jessie 
countered.  "She  may  have  more  sense  than  you  give 
her  credit  for,  you  know." 

"Don't  laugh  girls,  please,"  begged  Evelyn,  with  a 
funny  little  wrinkling  of  her  nose.  "You  only  encour- 
age her  and  prolong  our  misery." 

"Methinks  we  have  wandered  a  long  way  from  the 
point,"  Marjorie  suggested,  gently.  "What  do  you 
expect  to  do  with  this,  er — hermit  in  feminine  form, 
Lucile  ?  Are  you  going  to  ask  her  to  live  with  us  ?" 

Jessie  jumped  from  her  chair  and  struck  a  dramatic 
attitude.  "The  day  a  stranger  comes  beneath  this 
roof,"  she  declaimed,  "that  day  I  make  my  exit." 

"Good  night!"  They  all  turned  to  see  Phil  grin- 
ning at  them  from  the  window.  "If  I'm  a  stranger, 
let  me  know." 

"No  such  luck,"  said  Jessie,  adding  in  the  next 
breath,  "come  around  to  the  front,  the  door's  open." 

"Thanks,"  said  the  visitor,  and  immediately  availed 


A  Rift  in  the  Lute  137 

himself  of  the  invitation.  He  was  not  the  only  one, 
however,  for,  just  as  he  started  to  open  the  screen 
door,  a  voice  hailed  him  from  the  bank. 

"Hey,  what's  your  hurry?"  it  shouted.  "Can't  you 
wait  a  minute  for  the  rest  of  us?" 

"Every  minute's  precious,"  Phil  called  back.  "I'm 
taking  the  chance  while  I've  got  it,"  and  without  more 
ado  he  marched  into  the  room,  gravely  shook  hands 
with  Mrs.  Wescott  and  the  girls  in  turn,  then  seated 
himself  precariously  on  the  very  edge  of  a  chair. 

"Goodness,  Phil,  you  look  like  those  pictures — 
'poised  for  flight,'  "  his  sister  commented.  "Haven't 
you  had  your  breakfast?"  she  added,  with  sudden  in- 
spiration. 

"Sure — I'm  just  an  ad  for  preparedness,  that's  all. 
Oh,  here  comes  the  crowd,"  he  added,  as  voices  and 
the  sound  of  masculine  laughter  were  heard  at  the 
door.  "I  can't  stir  a  step  without  having  them  at  my 
heels." 

"I  suppose  you  think  you  are  the  attraction,"  sniffed 
Jessie,  adding,  with  a  gleeful  light  in  her  blue  eyes, 
"let's  organize  a  suffrage  committee  and  refuse  them 
admittance." 

"Good  night !"  Phil  repeated,  turning  up  his  coat  col- 


138  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

lar  and  preparing  to  depart  by  the  nearest  window. 
"I  thought  my  preparedness  might  come  in  handy." 

Marjorie  caught  him  by  the  tip  of  his  coat  and 
laughingly  hauled  him  back.  "Stand  your  ground," 
she  challenged.  "We're  not  all  enemies,  you  know." 

"Hey,  aren't  you  going  to  let  us  in,"  came  from 
the  front,  accompanied  by  a  series  of  impatient  rat- 
tlings  of  the  door  knob.  "Somebody's  hooked  the 
screen  from  the  inside." 

"Phil  again,"  Lucile  despaired.  "Guardian,  dear, 
shall  we  let  them  in?" 

"I  guess  it's  safe,"  the  young  chaperone  answered, 
with  a  twinkle  in  her  eye.  "Hurry,  dear — we  won't 
have  any  screen  door  left  if  you  don't." 

Laughingly  Lucile  obeyed,  and  a  moment  later  let 
in  the  avalanche.  "Of  all  the  noisy  people,"  she  cried, 
after  they  had  joked  and  jostled  their  way  into  the 
dining  room,  "you're  the  limit." 

"Well,  it's  good  to  be  supreme  in  any  line,"  Jack 
countered,  laughing  eyes  on  hers.  "Who's  game  for 
a  swim?" 

"Swim,"  they  echoed,  and  Jessie  added,  "oh,  what 
a  question  to  ask,  Jack — when  we've  thought  of  noth- 
ing else  since  we  got  up.  Be  careful,  you  nearly 
knocked  that  cup  off!" 


A  Rift  in  the  Lute  139 

"You  don't  mind  if  we  wreck  the  place,  do  you, 
Mrs.  Wescott?"  Jack  queried,  dextrously  rescuing  the 
cup.  "Because,  if  you  do,  I  think  you  had  better  re- 
fuse us  admittance." 

"As  long  as  you  leave  us  enough  to  keep  out  the 
sun  and  the  rain,"  she  compromised,  "we'll  promise 
not  to  object." 

"Now,  that's  what  I  call  generous,"  cried  Phil ;  "es- 
pecially since  you  don't  know  what  you're  up  against 
in  these  friends  of  mine." 

"Oh,  dear,  if  you'd  only  learn  to  speak  for  your- 
self," Jessie  was  beginning  when  Phil  beamed  down 
upon  her  with  sudden  gratitude. 

"I'll  do  anything  you  say,  if  you  will  only  call  me 
that  again,"  he  promised. 

"What  does  he  mean?"  Jessie  queried,  looking 
about  her  helplessly.  "I  didn't  call  you  anything." 

"Oh,  yes  you  did,"  he  maintained,  firmly.  "Un- 
less my  hearing  has  suddenly  failed  me,  you  called  me 
'dear,'  and  then  let  fall  a  remark  on  my  devoted 
head." 

Jessie's  scorn  knew  no  limits.  "What  would  you 
do  with  a  thing  like  that?"  she  asked  of  the  company 
in  general. 


140  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Thanks,"  said  Phil,  turning  away,  and  for  the  first 
time  Jessie  knew  she  had  gone  too  far. 

"Lucile  says  she's  ready  for  that  swim  whenever  the 
rest  of  you  are,"  Jack  announced  to  cover  a  rather 
awkward  pause.  "How  long  will  it  take  you  girls 
to  get  ready?" 

"About  five  minutes,"  said  Evelyn,  and  there  was 
a  general  roar  of  disbelief  from  the  boys. 

"You'll  be  breaking  all  time  limits  if  you  do  it," 
said  Jack's  cousin,  who  had  been  talking  and  laugh- 
ing with  Marjorie.  "I've  never  seen  a  girl  yet  who 
could  get  ready  for  anything  in  five  minutes." 

"Prepare  yourself  for  a  shock  then,"  Evelyn  re- 
torted. "Because  you're  going  to  see  four  of  us  all 
at  once.  How  about  it,  girls — are  we  going  to  let 
them  trample  on  the  feminine  sex  or  are  we  not?" 

"We  are  not!"  they  cried  in  chorus,  and  pushed  back 
their  chairs  preparatory  to  a  rush  for  the  upper 
regions. 

"When  may  we  expect  you,  boys?"  asked  Lucile, 
pausing  in  the  doorway  to  look  back  over  her  shoul- 
der. "Even  with  the  car  it  will  take  you  some  time." 

"Don't  worry  about  us,"  Jack  admonished.  "Just 
trust  us  to  be  around  when  you  are." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

STARTLING    NEWS 

UPSTAIRS  in  the  big  front  room  Marjorie  lifted  a 
panic  stricken  face  to  her  companions. 

"Girls,"  she  gasped.  "I  think,  I'm  afraid— I  didn't 
bring  my  suit!  Oh,  what  will  I  do?"  and  she  began 
to  delve  frantically  into  her  trunk  again. 

"Oh,  Marjie,  you  couldn't  have  really  forgotten 
it,"  cried  Lucile,  while  the  others  looked  on  in  con- 
sternation. "Here,  let  me  help  you  look.  Goodness, 
the  boys  haven't  even  given  us  time  to  unpack  our 
trunks." 

"No,  we'll  have  to  shoo  them  off  after  lunch  and 
try  to  get  some  work  done,"  said  Evelyn,  kicking  off 
her  slippers.  "Do  you  want  me  to  help  look?" 

"Dear,  no!"  was  Marjorie's  ungrateful  answer. 
"With  three  people  at  it  we'd  lose  more  than  we  could 
possibly  find.  Oh,  Lucy,  what  will  I  do?" 

"Don't  cry  about  it,"  Lucile  advised,  practically. 
"We  haven't  taken  out  everything  yet — it's  probably 

way  down  at  the  bottom — lost  things  always  are." 

141 


142  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

"Well,  I'll  live  in  hopes — now  just  look  at  that," 
and  she  held  up  a  heavy  winter  dress,  regarding  it 
scornfully.  "Mother  insisted  on  my  bringing  the 
thing  for  fear  it  would  get  chilly.  Think  of  that — 
in  this  kind  of  weather,  and  when  I'm  looking  for  a 
bathing  suit  at  that " 

"Oh,  I-wish  you'd  stop  grumbling,"  Jessie  remarked 
with  an  impatience  that  made  all  the  girls  pause  to 
look  at  her.  "It  gets  on  a  person's  nerves." 

"Well,  I  like  that,"  Marjorie  cried,  in  exasperation. 
"I  suppose  it  wouldn't  get  on  your  nerves  to  loose  your 
suit  and  get  all  heated  up  hunting  for  it,  would  it. 
I  notice  you  didn't  offer  your  services." 

"Girls,  girls,"  cried  Lucile.  "We've  got  to  stop  this 
or  we'll  be  like  a  nest  of  hornets  all  summer.  Here's 
your  suit,  Marjie,  so  cheer  up " 

"The  worst  is  yet  to  come,"  chanted  Jessie  dolefully 
— so  dolefully  that  the  girls  began  to  laugh. 

"Goodness,  I'd  hate  to  be  as  sad  as  that,"  cried  Lu- 
cile, flying  around  energetically  to  make  up  for  lost 
time.  "Put  aside  dull  care,  Jessie,  dear — just  for  a 
little  while  anyway,  and  try  to  interest  yourself  in 
the  joys  of  this  life " 

"There  ain't  no  such  animal,"  Jessie  interrupted 


Startling  News  143 

her;  "not  in  weather  like  this,  anyway.  I'm  simply 
roasted  now,  and  I  have  an  idea  what  it's  going  to  be 
when  I  put  my  cap  on." 

"Well,  don't  put  it  on,"  Evelyn  advised  her.  "You 
don't  have  to." 

"Yes,  I  have  a  vision  of  myself,  with  my  hair  all  wet 
and  stringing  down  my  back " 

"Well,  whatever  you  do  you'd  better  hurry  up," 
Lucile  advised,  unfeelingly,  as  she  tied  her  own  pretty 
cap  over  her  curls.  "We  told  the  boys  five  minutes, 
and  we'll  be  lucky  to  make  it  in  twenty  now." 

Thus  admonished,  Jessie  tied  the  very  becoming  hat 
over  her  blond  curls — and  let  it  be  said  here  that  she 
wouldn't  have  missed  the  effect  of  that  hat  for  any- 
thing— and  the  girls,  looking  like  four  charming  sea 
nymphs,  started  for  the  beach. 

"Don't  forget  your  promise,"  Lucile  called  back  to 
her  guardian  as  they  opened  the  door  onto  the  porch. 
"If  you  don't  join  us  in  half  an  hour  we'll  come  back 
after  you." 

"You  won't  need  to,"  she  answered.  "Have  a  good 
time  and  do  be  careful,  girls." 

"We  will,"  they  chorused,  then  ran  down  on  the 
sand,  romping  like  four  irresponsible  kittens. 


144  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

"It  doesn't  seem  warm  at  all  down  here,"  Jessie 
marveled,  her  spirits  coming  back  with  a  rush.  "Isn't 
that  breeze  delightful?"  and  she  drew  in  deep  breaths 
of  the  exhilarating,  life-giving  air. 

"Oh,  everything's  wonderful,"  Lucile  agreed,  taking 
the  whole  world  into  her  heart.  "The  best  thing  of 
all,"  she  added,  "is  that  we  reached  here  before  the 
boys.  I  wonder  what's  keeping  them." 

"Oh,  they'll  be  here  soon  enough,  don't  worry,"  said 
Evelyn,  who  pretended  to  be  a  man-hater — but  who 
most  decidedly  wasn't.  "Let's  enjoy  ourselves  while 
we  have  the  chance." 

"How  can  you  be  so  ungrateful?"  drawled  Mar- 
jorie.  "Especially  when  Jim  has  tried  to  make  him- 
self so  agreeable  of  late." 

"Why  pick  out  Jim?"  Evelyn  was  beginning,  when 
the  familiar  whirr  of  the  auto  reached  their  ears,  and 
they  glanced  up.  The  boys  were  just  flinging  off  the 
long  dusters  that  covered  their  bathing  suits,  prepara- 
tory to  making  a  rush  for  the  beach. 

"All  you  have  to  do  is  speak  of  them  and  they're  on 
the  spot,"  Lucile  marveled.  "It's  better  than  the 
magic  lamp." 

"Hello!    they've  beat  us  to  it,"  cried  Phil,  inele- 


Startling  News  145 

gantly.  "How  long  have  you  been  here — tell  us  the 
truth  now  ?" 

"Oh,  for  ever  so  long,"  answered  Lucile,  demurely. 
"We  didn't  notice  the  time " 

"No,  I  guess  you  didn't,"  laughed  Jack,  grasping 
her  two  hands  and  bringing  her  to  her  feet.  "Come 
on,  people;  what's  the  use  of  waiting?  I  want  to 
swim." 

"Second  the  motion,"  cried  Raymond,  and  Phil 
added,  boisterously,  "I  dare  you  girls  to  dive  right  in 
without  waiting  to  test  the  water." 

"Oh,  that's  too  easy,"  scoffed  Jessie,  and  started  on 
a  dead  run  for  the  surf,  followed  pellmell  by  all  the 
rest. 

With  a  great  noise  and  splashing  they  buffeted  their 
way  through  the  heavy  rollers,  then  joyfully  ducked 
under  a  green  comber,  and  without  the  slightest  hesi- 
tation struck  out  from  shore. 

"Better  take  it  easy,"  Jack  advised,  as  Lucile's  clean, 
even  strokes  sent  her  through  the  water  neck  and  neck 
with  him.  "That  speed  may  tire  you  out." 

"This?"  she  queried  in  surprise.  "Why,  I  could 
keep  this  up  all  day,  Jack.  You  don't  realize  how 
much  practice  I've  had." 


146  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"No,  I  guess  I  don't,"  he  agreed,  watching  her 
with  more  than  the  usual  admiration  in  his  eyes. 
"Before  I  stop  being  surprised,  I'll  have  to  realize  that 
you  can  do  everything  better  than  anybody  else." 

"Don't  give  me  a  reputation  that  I  can't  possibly 
live  up  to,"  she  laughed,  turning  on  her  back  and 
floating  lazily.  "It's  ever  so  much  easier  to  swim  in 
salt  water  than  it  is  in  fresh.  Oh,  I  could  do  this  all 
day!" 

"I  could  do  it  all  my  life,"  said  Jack  with  a  fervor 
that  was  slightly  dampened  by  an  unexpected  mouth- 
ful of  salt  water. 

"I  guess  you  could  do  without  that  part  of  it," 
Lucile  chuckled,  wickedly.  "Come  on,  try  swimming 
on  your  back  awhile.  It's  lots  of  fun." 

And,  in  the  meantime,  Phil  and  Jessie  were  having 
their  first  near-quarrel.  Relations  had  been  strained 
between  them  since  the  little  conversation  earlier  in 
the  day,  and  now  they  were  becoming,  as  Phil  himself 
would  have  said,  "more  so." 

"Do  you  think  you  had  better  go  out  so  far?"  the 
latter  suggested  tentatively,  as  Jessie  swam  on  without 
seeming  aware  of  his  presence.  "If  we  stay  near  shore 
we  can  land  when  you  get  tired." 


I  DARE  YOU  GIRLS  TO  DIVE  RIGHT  IN 


Startling  News  147 

"I'm  not  going  to  get  tired,"  she  answered,  shortly, 
and  for  awhile  they  swam  on  in  silence.  Then  sud- 
denly Phil  spoke. 

"See  here,  Jessie,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  that  made  her 
look  at  him  surprised.  "Don't  you  think  it's  just  about 
time  you  started  to  be  civil?" 

"Civil,"  she  repeated,  non-plussed,  then  added  with 
a  frigid  dignity:  "I  don't  see  what  right  you  have  to 
ask  such  questions,"  and  with  quickened  strokes  she 
swam  on  toward  the  shore,  her  poor  little  heart  a 
tumult  of  conflicting  emotions.  That  Phil,  her  patient 
and  oft-tormented  Phil,  should  speak  to  her  in  that  tone 
— why,  it  was  more  than  strange,  it  was  impossible! 
Surely  he  would  say  something — tell  her  he  didn't 
mean  it,  that  he  was  only  joking 

As  her  feet  felt  the  sandy  bottom  and  she  started 
to  wade  in  toward  the  beach,  a  quick  glance  over  her 
shoulder  told  her  that  Phil  was  not  following — that 
he  had  turned  and  was  swimming  over  toward  Lucile 
and  Jack. 

Suddenly  her  little  world  seemed  upside  down,  and 
she  wedged  herself  in  between  two  rocks  to  think 
things  over.  More  than  anything  else,  she  wanted  to 
cry — but  she  told  herself  that  this  she  would  never  do 


148  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

— even  as  two  tears  coursed  down  her  cheeks  and  fell 
upon  the  dripping  bathing  suit.  She  rubbed  her  eyes 
savagely  and  stood  up  with  her  little  mouth  set  hard 
and  her  nose  in  the  air. 

"I  won't  be  a  baby,  anyway,"  she  told  herself.  "If 
he  wants  to  act  like  that,  at  least  I  don't  have  to  let 
him  see  that  I  care,"  and  she  ran  off  to  join  the  others. 

Mrs.  Wescott  had  kept  her  promise  to  meet  them  in 
half  an  hour,  and  the  young  folks  had  formed  a  merry 
circle  around  her,  laughingly  urging  her  into  the 
water. 

"Can't  you  live  for  a  moment  out  of  the  water?" 
she  was  objecting  good-naturedly.  "I  want  to  enjoy 
looking  at  it  for  a  little  while." 

"I'd  like  to  see  anybody  keep  you  from  doing  what 
you  want  to  when  I'm  around,"  Lucile  declaimed,  val- 
iently.  "Varlets,  unhand  my  guardian — oh,  here  you 
are,  Jessie,"  she  broke  off,  as  she  spied  the  latter. 
"We  were  wondering  where  you  had  gone." 

"Not  very  far,"  said  Jessie,  lightly.  "It  seems  I 
have  come  just  in  time  to  help  rescue  our  guardian 
from  a  gang  of  thieves  and  ruffians " 

"Now  you  know,  Jessie,"  Jim  objected.  "We're 
not  quite  as  bad  as  that " 


Startling  News  149 

"No,  but  there  are  some  that  are,"  Jack  put  in. 
"Several  of  my  mother's  friends  have  been  missing 
things " 

"Valuable  things?"  Evelyn  interrupted,  eagerly. 

"Well,  more  or  less  so,"  he  answered,  scooping  out 
a  seat  in  the  sand  for  Mrs.  Wescott.  "And  the  funny 
thing — or,  rather,  the  strange  thing  about  it  is,  that 
the  thieves,  whoever  they  are,  haven't  left  a  single  clue 
behind  them." 

"Oh,  I'm  glad  I  came!"  cried  Lucile,  ecstatically. 
"Think  of  having  real  burglars  prowling  about  the 
place.  Are  you  sure  you're  not  fooling,  Jack?"  she 
added,  while  her  face  clouded  at  the  thought. 

"Unfortunately  for  a  good  many  people,"  he  assured 
her,  while  the  others  listened  breathlessly,  "I'm  not. 
You  see,  it  isn't  quite  so  interesting  when  you  wake 
up  to  find  a  valuable  piece  of  jewelry  missing." 

"But  haven't  they  sent  in  an  alarm?"  Mrs.  Wes- 
cott inquired,  amazed.  "I  should  think  it  would  be 
easy  enough  to  set  detectives  on  their  track " 

"Oh,  they've  done  that,"  he  answered.  "The  only 
hard  part  seems  to  be  the  rounding  up  of  the  thieves. 
You  see,  the  people  don't  want  the  thing  to  get  in  the 
papers  if  they  can  possibly  avoid  it." 


150  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Goodness!  I  wonder  if  they  will  try  to  rob  our 
place?"  breathed  Evelyn,  her  eyes  shining. 

"You  speak  as  if  it  were  something  to  look  forward 
to,"  Jessie  sniffed.  "To  get  shot  in  the  dark  isn't  my 
idea  of  a  good  time." 

Phil  shot  a  swift  glance  at  her — then  turned  away. 

"Oh,  Jessie,  aren't  you  horrid?"  Marjorie  shivered. 
"After  this  I'll  be  afraid  to  go  to  sleep  at  night.  Do 
you  suppose  they  will  get  as  far  as  our  cottage,  Jack  ?" 
she  inquired  anxiously. 

"Of  course  not,"  laughed  Mrs.  Wescott  before  he 
could  answer.  "We  haven't  enough  money  to  attract 
them.  Besides,  they  will  probably  be  caught  long 
before  they  get  down  this  far.  Now  I'm  ready  for 
that  dip,"  she  added,  gaily,  "whenever  the  rest  of  you 
are." 

Needless  to  say,  the  merry  party  needed  no  second 
invitation,  and  for  awhile  the  startling  subject  of  the 
thieves  was  forgotten.  They  tried  all  sorts  of  fancy 
swimming  strokes  and  dives,  each  one  striving  to  out- 
do the  other,  until  the  pangs  of  hunger  drove  them 
sunburned  and  dripping  to  the  beach. 

"Oh,  you're  red  as  a  lobster,  Marjie,"  Jessie  com- 
mented, as  they  turned  toward  the  bungalow.  "You 
are  going  to  have  some  time  with  that  sunburn." 


Startling  News  151 

"Well,  I  can't  be  much  worse  than  you,"  Marjorie 
retorted,  sharply.  "Even  your  eyelashes  look  burnt.'' 

"Peace,  my  children,"  said  Lucile,  taking  off  her 
cap  and  shaking  out  her  curls.  "  'Would  some  power 
the  giftie  gi'e  us,  to  see  ourselves  as  others  see  us/ 
What  do  we  care  for  a  little  sunburn,  anyway?" 

"Why,  indeed,  when  it's  so  becoming?"  queried 
Jack,  with  exaggerated  gallantry,  then  added  in  a 
lower  tone  to  Lucile.  "I  wish  you  could  see  yourself 
as  I  see  you  just  once — you'd  never  want  to  look  any- 
where else." 

"Please,"  she  begged,  fearful  that  some  one  had 
overheard.  "I  wonder  what's  the  matter  with  Jessie 
and  Phil,"  she  added,  to  change  the  subject.  "Phil 
looks  as  though  he  had  lost  his  last  friend,  and  Jessie, 
well,  she's  not  like  herself  at  all.  You  and  the  boys 
wait  here,  Jack,"  she  said,  putting  out  a  detaining  hand 
as  they  neared  the  cottage.  "We'll  be  out  again  with 
some  lunch  in  no  time." 

"All  right,  that's  a  promise,"  he  agreed.  "And 
meantime  I'll  try  to  put  some  life  into  poor  old  Phil. 
He  sure  does  look  down  and  out !" 


CHAPTER  XIV 

JACK    FORGETS 

ALL  day  long  the  young  folks  reveled  in  the  heat 
of  the  sun-parched  sand  or  in  the  cool  green  depths 
of  the  ocean  until  lengthening  shadows  proclaimed  the 
coming  of  evening. 

Then  it  was  that  Jack  suddenly  bethought  him  of 
something,  as  Jessie  would  say. 

"What  good  are  you,  anyway?"  he  queried,  glaring 
around  fiercely  at  his  companions.  "You  fellows 
promised  to  remind  me  of  my  mother's  invitation  and 
this  is  the  way  you  do  it.  Gee,  I'm  in  a  fine  fix !"  and 
he  ran  his  hand  through  his  tumbled  hair  in  comical 
chagrin. 

"Now,  what  are  you  raving  about?"  said  Jessie, 
throwing  a  handful  of  sand  in  his  direction.  "If  I 
remember  rightly  the  best  thing  you  do  is  to  forget 
my  blessed  Aunt's  instructions.  What's  the  latest?" 

"Oh,"  groaned  Jack.     "Where's  our  chaperone — I 

might  as  well  get  the  confession  over  right  away. 

152 


Jack  Forgets  153 

Stop  grinning,  you  fish!"  This  last  was  addressed  to 
his  cousin  Ray,  who  was  looking  upon  his  discomfit- 
ure with  fiendish  glee. 

"Go  to  it,  Jack,"  Phil  urged.  "We'll  back  you  up!" 
and  so  they  half  ran,  half  tumbled  over  to  where  their 
guardian  stood  talking  to  Marjorie. 

"My  worthy  friend  wouldst  a  word  with  thee," 
whispered  Phil  in  the  latter's  ear.  "Prithee,  give  him 
audience." 

"That  sounds  like  a  selection  from  the  ' Prince  and 
the  Pauper,'  "  laughed  Mrs.  Wescott,  turning  to  them. 

"What  is  it  now?" 
"Well,  you  see " 

"It's  this  way ,"  murmured  Jessie,  but  Jack 

went  on  with  never  a  glance  in  her  direction. 

"My  mother  gave  me  a  message  to  deliver  and  I — 
well— I  forgot  about  it,"  he  finished  with  his  bright 
smile.  "The  fact  is,  she  wanted  you  all  to  come  over 
to  supper  to-night  if  you  could  manage  it.  She's 
heard  a  good  deal  about  you  and — the  girls,  Mrs. 
Wescott,  and  she's  very  anxious  to  meet  you." 

"Well  said,  well  said,"  clapped  Raymond  of  the 
nice  hair.  "Couldn't  have  done  it  better  myself!" 

"Oh,"  breathed  the  girls  and  instinctively  looked 


154  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

down  at  their  apparel.  When  one  has  lived  in  a  bath- 
ing suit  all  day,  she  is  not  exactly  dressed  for  a  formal 
dinner,  especially  when  the  dinner  hour  is  only  fifteen 
minutes  away.  Therefore,  the  girls  looked  at  their 
guardian  questioningly  and  a  little  dismayed. 

Mrs.  Wescott  was  laughing  now,  softly  and  as 
though  to  herself.  "Oh,  my  dear  boy,"  she  said.  "You 
have  gotten  us  in  a  terrible  tangle.  Your  mother 
won't  know  whether  to  expect  us  or  not  in  the  first 
place  and,  in  the  second,  we  couldn't  possibly  get  there 
on  time " 

"Oh,  that  wouldn't  matter,"  he  interrupted,  quickly. 
"I'll  tell  mother  all  about  it,  and  of  course  she  won't 
mind  keeping  dinner  waiting  for  a  few  minutes. 
Please  come,"  he  urged.  "Mother  will  never  forgive 
me  if  you  don't." 

"All  right,  we'll  do  it,"  said  Mrs.  Wescott  with 
sudden  decision.  "It  was  very  lovely  of  your  mother 
to  give  us  the  invitation." 

"Thanks,"  said  Jack,  gripping  her  hand,  gratefully. 
"Mother  would  have  come  herself,  but  she  thought 
you  might  like  the  first  day  to  yourselves.  We'll  rush 
home  and  be  back  in  a  jiffy  to  get  you !" 

So,  the  boys  went  one  way  and  the  girls  another — 


Jack  Forgets  155 

the  latter  filled  with  excitement  at  the  coming 
function. 

"That's  just  like  Jack,"  said  Jessie  as  they  ran  up 
to  their  room.  "Always  leaves  everything  till  the  last 
minute.  Oh,  girls,  I'm  a  fright,"  this  last  wail  was 
caused  by  a  glance  at  her  sunburned  reflection  in  the 
mirror.  "I  can  just  about  see  myself  in  an  evening 
dress." 

"I  wish  I  could,"  said  Lucile,  ruefully.  "It  will  be 
half  an  hour  at  least  before  I  can  hope  to." 

"Half  an  hour — from  the  way  I  feel  it  will  be  two 
hours,"  grumbled  Marjorie,  rubbing  her  sunburned 
arms  gingerly.  "I  won't  blame  you  girls  for  not  look- 
ing at  me  to-night — I'm  going  to  be  too  homely." 

"Cheer  up,  Marjie,"  Lucile  philosophized,  while  the 
other  girls  lughed  at  her  despair.  "When  you  get  a 
little  powder  on  your  nose  that  sunburn  will  be  very 
becoming.  Try  it  and  see." 

Marjorie  obediently  dabbed  her  nose  with  the  puff 
and  groaned  at  the  result.  "It  only  makes  it  worse," 
she  wailed.  "Oh,  girls,  what  will  I  do?" 

"Get  dressed  and  don't  think  about  it,"  Evelyn  ad- 
vised. "It  won't  look  so  bad  at  night,  anyway,"  at 
which  consolation  Marjie  groaned  afresh. 


156  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Goodness,"  laughed  Lucile,  "don't  be  so  doleful, 
Marj.  You'll  have  plenty  of  company  anyway — my 
face  is  cooked.  Oh,  Evelyn,  don't  touch  me!" 

"Anybody'd  think  I  was  poison,"  said  Evelyn, 
drawing  back.  "Never  mind,  if  your  arms  hurt  as 
badly  as  mine,  I'll  forgive  you." 

"Thanks,"  said  Lucile.  "Now,  just  to  show  your 
forgiveness,  will  you  please  do  me  up?" 

Good  naturedly,   Evelyn  obeyed,   and  a  few   mo- 

• 

ments  later  the  girls  were  ready  to  start.  With  the 
aid  of  a  plentiful  sprinkling  of  powder  on  neck  and 
arms,  not  to  say  the  fluffiest  of  dresses  and  prettiest  of 
hats,  our  girls  had  managed  to  transform  themselves 
from  charming  mermaids  into  still  more  charming 
butterflies. 

"Well,  we're  not  so  bad,  after  all,"  sighed  Marjorie, 
with  a  last  look  in  the  mirror.  ''And  there's  the  motor 
horn — pretty  good  time,  I  call  it." 

And  so  they  filed  out,  pretty  as  pictures  and  knocked 
as  Mrs.  Wescott's  door. 

"Is  there  anything  we  can  do?"  Lucile  called 
through  the  keyhole. 

The  door  flew  open  and  their  guardian  stood  in 
the  doorway  as  radiant  as  the  girls  and  looking  almost 
as  young. 


Jack  Forgets  157 

"Well,  you  did  get  ready  in  a  hurry,"  she  laughed. 
"I  really  had  no  idea  you  could  do  it.  Run  on  ahead, 
girls,  while  I  have  a  word  or  two  with  the  'lady  of 
the  kitchen,'  "  for  so  they  had  nicknamed  their  middle- 
aged  cook.  "I'll,  join  you  in  no  time." 

Their  guardian  proved  as  good  as  her  word,  and 
in  a  few  moments  more  they  had  been  hustled  into 
Jack's  big  car,  and  were  racing  over  the  road  at  hair- 
raising  speed. 

"Jack,"  gasped  Marjorie.  "Suppose  we  should  run 
into  something." 

"What's  the  use  of  bringing  up  unpleasant  sub- 
jects," Jack  flung  back.  "If  anything  should  be  fool- 
ish enough  to  try  to  stop  us  now,  it  would  wish  it 
hadn't,  that's  all." 

"There's  conceit  for  you,"  Jessie  put  it.  "I  suppose 
there's  no  possibility  of  our  getting  hurt  at  all?" 

"None  whatever,"  he  assured  her.  "You'd  only  feel 
the  bump,  when  we  brushed  it  aside." 

"Oh,  just  like  that,"  mocked  Lucile. 

"I'll  have  no  impudence  from  you,  young  lady,"  said 
Jack,  as  he  deftly  swung  the  machine  up  a  broad  drive- 
way and  tooted  the  unmelodious  horn.  "Anyway,  you 
have  to  admit  it  didn't  take  us  long  to  get  here." 

"Granted,"  laughed  Lucile  as  she  stepped  her  dainty 


158  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

little  pink-shod  foot  to  the  ground.  Her  heart  was 
beating  tumultuously — she  had  wondered  so  much 
just  what  his  mother  would  be  like ! 

As  though  he  read  her  thoughts,  Jack  pressed  her 
hand  when  no  one  was  looking,  whispering,  "You 
will  like  my  mother  and — she'll  love  you!" 

Lucile  caught  her  breath  and  turned  even  rosier 
under  the  pretty  hat.  "I  hope  so,"  she  murmured,  and 
ran  up  to  join  the  impatient  girls. 

A  moment  later  they  were  ushered  into  an  artistic 
foyer,  where  Mrs.  Turnbull  herself  came  to  welcome 
them. 

She  held  out  a  cordial  hand  to  Mrs.  Wescott  as  Jack 
introduced  them.  "I've  heard  so  much  about  you 
from  my  son,"  she  said,  with  her  pleasant  smile,  "that 
an  introduction  seems  almost  superfluous.  I'm  so  very 
glad  you  could  come !" 

Then  she  turned  to  the  girls  and  her  manner  was 
so  sweetly  friendly  and  hospitable  that  all  restraint 
vanished  and  they  chatted  as  merrily  as  though  they 
had  known  her  always. 

At  their  hostess's  suggestion  our  girls  ran  upstairs 
to  remove  their  hats  and  light  wraps  for,  as  the  for- 
mer had  said,  "dinner  would  be  served  immediately." 


Jack  Forgets  159 

"Isn't  she  a  dear,"  said  Jessie,  slipping  an  arm  about 
Lucile  as  they  started  down  again.  "Everybody  loves 
Aunt  Edna." 

"Well,  I'm  no  exception,"  Lucile  assured  her 
warmly,  at  which  Jessie  chuckled  slyly. 

The  boys  were  waiting  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  with 
an  impatience  they  made  no  attempt  to  conceal.  The 
long  afternoon  in  the  open  air  had  made  them  raven- 
ous, and  it  required  magnificent  self-control  to  keep 
from  violating  all  rules  of  etiquette  and  rushing  upon 
the  alluring  dining  room  without  more  ado.  However, 
at  sight  of  the  girls,  they  one  and  all  agreed  that  the 
wait  was  justified.  The  latter  were  looking  their  very 
best  in  spite  of  Marjorie's  painful  prediction  and — 
they  knew  it!" 

"What's  the  matter  with  you  and  Phil,"  Lucile 
whispered.  "He  looks  at  you  as  though  you  were  lost 
to  him  forever,  and  you — well,  you  don't  look  at  him 
at  all." 

Jessie  flushed  scarlet  and  turned  away.  "There's 
nothing  the  matter,"  she  said,  and  Lucile  had  perforce 
to  be  content. 

The  dinner  passed  off  gaily.  There  was  one  other 
guest  beside  themselves — a  lawyer  whom  Mrs.  Wes- 


160  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

cott  knew  and  was  unfeignedly  glad  to  see.  The  for- 
mer was  a  very  good  friend  of  her  husband,  and 
had  been  entertained  often  at  their  home  in  New  York. 
When  the  charming  little  guardian  expressed  surprise 
as  well  as  pleasure  at  the  coincidence  of  their  meeting, 
Mrs.  Turnball  explained. 

It  seemed  the  boys  had  met  the  lawyer  that  morn- 
ing and  Jack,  finding  that  he  was  a  friend  of  the  Wes- 
cotts,  had  then  and  there  invited  him  to  dinner,  know- 
ing that  he  would  have  his  mother's  approval.  Mrs. 
Wescott  accepted  the  explanation  laughingly,  and  then 
turned  to  answer  a  question  directed  to  her  by  Mr. 
Turnbull. 

The  latter  was  bluff  and  hearty  and  somehow  re- 
minded Lucile  of  her  own  father — therefore,  she  liked 
him  at  once,  and  the  liking  proved  to  be  mutual. 

After  dinner  they  wandered  out  into  the  foyer,  and 
from  there  out  onto  the  broad  veranda.  The  beauty 
of  the  night  lured  the  young  people  irresistibly,  and 
Jack  suggested  a  walk  along  the  beach.  The  elder 
members  of  the  party  declined  the  rather  half-hearted 
invitation  to  accompany  them — preferring  a  four  at 
bridge — and  so  the  girls  and  boys  started  off  in  high 
spirits. 


Jack  Forgets  161 

It  seemed  to  them  they  "took  in"  everything  on  the 
boardwalk — which  was  saying  a  good  deal.  Jack 
seemed  to  know  everybody  in  the  place,  Lucile  re- 
flected, as  he  turned  to  answer  the  salutations  of  a 
group  of  young  people  near  them — most  of  the  girls 
were  pretty,  too. 

When  at  last  Jack's  faithful  timepiece  showed  that 
it  was  getting  late,  they  turned  reluctantly  to  retrace 
their  steps. 

"It's  too  bad  we  can't  stay  any  longer,"  said  Ray, 
looking  back  regretfully.  "Some  day  we'll  have  to 
come  here  when  we  have  plenty  of  time,  and  do  the 
thing  up  right." 

"You  said  it,"  Jack  assured  him,  "and  it  won't  be 
in  the  dim  future  either." 

They  were  quiet  for  some  time  going  home — then 
Lucile  suddenly  broke  the  silence.  "Haven't  I  met  that 
girl  before?"  she  asked;  "the  one  we  met  last?" 

"Yes,  that's  Peggy  Bright,"  he  answered  absently, 
studying  the  sweet  averted  profile  and  wishing  more 
than  anything  else  that  he  could  see  her  eyes.  "You 
met  her  that  first  day." 

"She's  very  pretty,"  Lucile  observed,  and  still  her 
gaze  was  fixed  upon  the  water. 


162  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

He  caught  her  hand  in  both  of  his,  and  bent  over 
her  eagerly.  "Lucile,"  he  cried,  and  she  thrilled 
strangely  at  his  tone.  "Nobody  looks  pretty  to  me 
any  more  but  you.  I'm  thinking  of  you  every  minute 
when  I'm  not  with  you,  and  when  I  am — oh,  Lucile, 
look  at  me !" 

Much  to  her  own  surprise,  she  had  started  to  obey 
when  they  were  startled  by  a  voice  close  behind  them. 

"Hello,  we  thought  you'd  be  home  by  this  time," 
said  Raymond,  for  it  was  he,  with  Marjorie  on  his 
arm.  "Jimmie  Blake  cornered  us  up  there,  and  we 
thought  we'd  never  get  away." 

Although  Jack  bore  his  cousin  no  ill  will — it  is  safe 
to  say  he  would  have  wished  him  anywhere  else  but 
where  he  was  at  that  precise  minute.  However,  he 
swallowed  his  chagrin,  and  they  walked  on  together. 

The  others  must  have  loitered,  also  for  they  caught 
up  to  them  before  they  reached  the  cottage,  and  many 
were  the  gibes  and  insinuations  bandied  back  and 
forth.  But  when  they  reached  the  front  door  all  mer- 
riment ceased  and  they  paused  spellbound  to  watch 
the  tableau  before  them. 

The  two  gentlemen  and  Mrs.  Wescott  had  risen 
'from  their  places  at  the  card  table  and  were  regarding 
Mrs.  Turnbull  in  startled  amazement. 


Jack  Forgets  163 

"I  left  it  on  my  dresser,"  the  latter  was  saying,  al- 
most incoherent  in  her  excitement.  "And  when  I 
thought  of  it,  and  went  to  get  it — my  diamond  brooch 
— dt  was  gone!  Oh,  what  shall  I  do — what  shall  I 
do!" 

Speechless,  they  looked  from  one  to  another,  while 
Mrs.  Turnbull,  all  white  and  trembling,  steadied  her- 
self against  the  railing. 

"Thieves,"  muttered  Mr.  Turnbull,  grimly.  "Those 
detectives  are  a  fine  lot.  I  guess  I'll  have  to  get  on 
the  job  myself!" 


CHAPTER  XV 

I 

EXCITING   DEVELOPMENTS 

JACK  pushed  a  way  through  to  his  mother's  side 
while  the  others  hesitated,  undecided  whether  to  ad- 
vance or  retreat.  Mrs.  Wescott  motioned  to  them,  and 
they  came  into  the  room,  breathless  and  excited. 

"Are  you  sure  you  haven't  lost  the  pin,  mother?" 
Jack  demanded.  "It  might  have  slipped  off  around  the 
house,  you  know." 

"Oh,  no,  no,"  she  denied.  "It  is  impossible.  Why, 
I  remember  the  exact  spot  where  I  left  it — John,"  she 
added,  turning  imperatively  to  her  husband.  "We'll 
have  to  give  this  thing  publicity — we  can't  consent  to 
be  robbed  wholesale " 

"Just  a  minute,  just  a  minute,  my  dear,"  he  inter- 
rupted, mildly.  "We  didn't  talk  this  way  when  other 
people  suffered " 

"No,  if  we  had  I  might  still  have  my  diamonds/'  she 
returned,  her  lips  compressed.  "I  tell  you,  John,  this 

thing  has  got  to  stop — why,  I  wouldn't  have  lost  that 

164 


Exciting  Developments  165 

pin  for  all  the  money  in  the  world.  I  should  think 
you'd  feel  the  way  I  do " 

"Oh,  my  dear,  my  dear,"  he  protested.  "Of  course 
it's  an  outrage,  and  I'll  move  heaven  and  earth  to  re- 
cover that  pin.  But  just  now  you  are  tremendously 
nervous  and  excited,  Edna — if  you  could  just — er — 
pull  yourself  together,  my  dear — 

For  the  first  time  she  seemed  to  be  conscious  of  her 
guests'  existence,  and  her  thoughtfulness  as  their 
hostess  once  more  asserted  itself. 

"I'm  sorry,"  she  said,  laughing  a  little  tremulously. 
"I'm  afraid  this — occurrence  has  entirely  spoiled  our 
evening — I " 

"Oh,  please  don't  worry  about  us,"  Mrs.  Wescott 
spoke  impulsively.  "We  are  all  dreadfully  sorry  that 
this  has  happened — if  there  is  anything  we  can 

Hr»_^_" 

"Thank  you,"  said  Mrs.  Turnbull,  lifelessly.  "I 
imagine  this  is  a  case  for  police  investigation — though 
they  probably  won't  find  anything." 

Our  young  folks  did  their  best  to  cheer  their  hostess 
with  happy  prognostications,  but,  finding  the  latter  of 
little  avail,  decided  the  wisest  thing  would  be  to  get 
back  home  and  leave  Mrs.  Turnbull  to  her  husband. 


166  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

Jack  brought  the  car  around,  and  after  many  ex- 
pressions of  mutual  friendship,  our  party  rolled  away, 
considerably  more  thoughtful  and  chastened  than  they 
had  come. 

"Burglars!"  whispered  Marjorie,  in  awed  tones. 
"Oh,  I  wish  our  bungalow  weren't  quite  so  far  away 
from  everybody." 

"Marjorie,"  cried  Evelyn,  amazed.  "You're  a 
camp-fire  girl,  and  I  believe  you're  actually  afraid!" 

"So  are  you,  only  you  won't  admit  it,"  Marjorie  re- 
torted. 

Evelyn  began  to  stutter,  but  Lucile  cut  in  quickly. 
"We're  none  of  us  really  afraid,"  she  said.  "It's  only 
natural  we  should  be  excited  and  worked  up  after  what 
has  happened  to-night — but,  as  to  being  actually  afraid 
— why,  we'll  laugh  at  our  fears  to-morrow." 

"Of  c — course  we  will,"  chattered  Jessie.  "Only  I 
wish  to-morrow'd  hurry  up." 

Everybody  laughed,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  ride  the 
tension  somewhat  relaxed.  It  tightened  up,  however, 
when  the  boys  started  to  say  good  night. 

Phil  looked  at  Lucile  and  Jessie,  then  turned  sud- 
denly to  Mrs.  Wescott. 

"Why.  can't  we  fellows  stay  too?"  he  proposed. 


Exciting  Developments  167 

"You  can  put  us  up,  can't  you,  Mrs.  Wescott? — a 
couple  of  us,  anyway.  Of  course,  there's  no  danger, 
but  I  hate  the  thought  of  leaving  you  and  the  girls 
all  alone  like  this — I " 

Mrs.  Wescott  laughed  softly,  then  turned  to  Phil, 
saying  in  a  matter-of-fact  tone,  "As  you  said,  there  is 
absolutely  no  danger  of  our  being  robbed,  but  if  it 
will  make  you  feel  any  better " 

Phil  seized  her  hand  and  wrung  it  gratefully. 
"Thanks,"  he  said.  "I  knew  you'd  see  it  our  way. 
Jack,  will  you  take  us  back  while  we  get  some  of 
our  duds?" 

Jack  assented,  then  turned  to  Mrs.  Wescott  hope- 
fully. "I  suppose  you  only  have  room  for  two  brave 
defenders?"  he  inquired,  adding  modestly,  "I'm  not 
fishing  for  an  invitation  or  anything  like  that,  you 
know " 

Mrs.  Wescott  laid  a  hand  on  his  shoulder  affection- 
ately. "I'd  ask  you  to  stay  in  a  minute,"  she  said, 
smiling.  "But  we  only  have  one  spare  room  in  the 
place,  and  that  isn't  very  large.  Besides,"  she  added, 
"don't  you  think  your  mother  needs  you  ?" 

"I  suppose  so,"  he  sighed,  with  a  longing  glance  in 
Lucile's  direction.  "Come  on,  fellows,  I'll  rush  you 


168  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

home  and  back  again  before  you  know  it.  I  hope 
you  realize  how  lucky  you  are !" 

The  boys  stayed  just  long  enough  to  unlock  the 
door,  turn  up  the  light  and  make  sure  that  everything 
was  as  it  should  be;  then  they  were  off  once  more. 

As  the  door  slammed,  the  girls  turned  from  one  to 
the  other,  their  eyes  big  and  questioning. 

"Goodness,  here's  adventure  enough  for  us,"  .said 
Marjorie,  as  they  started  upstairs.  "In  fact,  I  don't 
know  but  what  it  will  be  too  much  before  we  get 
through  with  it.  Oh,  what  was  that?" 

The  girls  jumped  back  as  though  they  had  seen  a 
ghost. 

"What?"  cried  Evelyn,  in  a  shrill  little  whisper. 
"I  didn't  see  anything!" 

"Oh,  I  thought  I  heard  a  noise !" 

"Very  likely — you  couldn't  eat  it,"  snapped  Jessie, 
pushing  past  Marjorie  into  the  room.  Jessie  was  tired 
and  nervous  and  completely  out  of  sorts.  The  very 
way  she  flung  her  hat  upon  the  chair  was  spiteful. 
"For  goodness'  sake,  let's  forget  burglars  and  go  to 
bed.  I'm  tired." 

"So  it  seems,"  Evelyn  remarked,  as  she  took  off  her 
own  hat  and  smoothed  her  wind-rumpled  hair. 


Exciting  Developments  169 

"What's  the  matter  with  you,  anyway — you've  been 
cross  ever  since  we  came.  You're  not  like  the  same 
girl." 

Jessie  said  nothing  but  went  on  pulling  the  pins  out 
of  her  hair  in  a  gloomy,  abstracted  silence  while  the 
girls  watched  her  furtively.  When  she  could  stand  it 
no  longer,  Marjorie  burst  out  petulantly. 

"Oh,  can't  somebody  say  something,"  she  cried. 
"We're  like  a  party  of  ghosts.  I  feel  like  sticking  a 
pin  into  somebody  to  see  if  they're  real!" 

Evelyn  skipped  nimbly  to  the  other  side  of  the  room. 

"Try  it  on,  Jessie,  first,"  she  suggested.  "She's  the 
one  that  started  it.  Goodness,  I  never  saw  anyone 
look  quite  so  doleful !" 

In  the  mirror  Lucile  saw  Jessie  turn  away  to  hide 
the  two  big  tears  that  rolled  betrayingly  down  her 
cheeks.  In  a  moment  she  was  on  her  knees  beside  her 
friend,  and  had  turned  fiercely  to  the  amazed  girls. 

"Why  couldn't  you  leave  her  alone,"  she  cried. 
"Couldn't  you  see  she  was  all  on  edge  and  didn't  want 
to  be  bothered?  Go  on,  honey,  cry  all  you  want  to — 
I'd  like  to  see  anybody  try  to  stop  you!"  and  she 
smoothed  the  yellow  hair  lovingly. 

There  was  a  little  gurgling  sound  somewhere  be- 


170  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

tween  a  laugh  and  a  sob  from  Jessie,  and  her  arm 
crept  up  to  clasp  tightly  about  Lucile's  neck. 

Mrs.  Wescott,  opening  the  door  softly  to  say  good 
night,  paused,  amazed,  by  the  picture  they  presented. 
The  dark  head,  bent  so  closely  above  the  fair  one  and 
the  two  other  girls,  transfixed  with  bewilderment. 

"Why,  my  girls,"  she  cried,  advancing  toward 
them  swiftly.  "What  in  the  world  is  the  matter  ?  Jes- 
sie, you're  not  hurt?" 

Jessie  reached  out  a  hand  to  her  guardian,  not 
trusting  herself  to  speak. 

"She'll  be  all  right,"  said  Lucile,  lifting  eyes  that 
seemed  almost  black  beneath  their  shadowing  of  dark 
lashes.  "A  good  night's  rest  will  set  her  up  wonder- 
fully. We've  had  a  pretty  long  day,  you  know." 

In  spite  of  the  explanation,  Mrs.  Wescott  looked 
worried.  "I  know  that,"  she  said,  "but  it  isn't  like 
Jessie  to  break  down  this  way.  You  don't  feel  sick, 
do  you  dear?" 

"Oh,  I'm  a — a — goose,"  said  Jessie,  wiping  her 
eyes  on  a  little  square  of  handkerchief  Lucile  slipped 
into  her  hand.  "There's  n — nothing  in  the  world  the 
m — matter  with  me.  I  don't  know  what  made  me — I 
never  did  this  before " 


Exciting  Developments  171 

"Well,  never  mind,"  said  Mrs.  Wescott,  evidently 
very  much  relieved  and  patting  the  young  shoulder 
consolingly.  "Everything  looks  a  good  deal  brighter 
by  daylight.  Get  to  bed  and  to  sleep  as  soon  as  you 
can,  and  you'll  find  all  your  troubles  disappear  by 
magic  Good  night,  girls — from  various  noises  below 
I  surmise  that  the  boys  have  come  back,  which  means 
that  I  am  wanted  below  stairs.  Good  night,  once 
more." 

There  was  a  loving  chorus  from  the  girls,  and  then 
the  door  closed  softly,  and  they  were  alone  again.  Mrs. 
Wescott  knew  that  Lucile  could  bring  Jessie  to  herself 
sooner  than  anyone  else. 

Almost  in  silence  the  girls  undressed  and  slipped 
into  bed.  It  was  not  till  the  lights  had  been  turned 
out  and  the  moon  had  made  a  silver  pathway  of  light 
across  the  floor,  that  Evelyn  stole  noiselessly  out  of 
bed  and  toward  the  alcove  where  Lucile  and  Jessie 
slept. 

"Jessie,"  she  whispered. 

Jessie  started  and  turned  over.  "What  is  it?"  she 
whispered  in  the  same  tone. 

"I — I  just  wanted  to  say  I'm  sorry  if  I  made  you 
feel  bad.  I'll — I'll  try  to  be  good  in  the  future." 


172  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

Jessie  gave  the  penitent's  hand  an  affectionate  little 
squeeze.  "Don't  make  rash  promises,"  she  advised 
her.  "When  I'm  in  good  form  again  you  might  have 
to  take  them  back." 

Evelyn  chuckled  happily.  "Now  I  know  I'm  for- 
given," she  said  and  crept  back  to  bed. 

After  that  there  was  silence  for  a  long  time,  while 
the  wind,  which  had  been  rising  steadily  since  night- 
fall, shrilled  higher  and  higher,  and  the  surf  pounded 
heavily  on  the  rocks.  Finally,  Jessie's  hand  reached 
over  tentatively  and  touched  Lucile. 

"Lucy,"  she  whispered.    "Are  you  asleep?" 

"Yes,"  chuckled  Lucile.  "I  went  to  sleep  quite 
some  time  ago."  Then  added,  with  sudden  compunc- 
tion, "Forgive  me,  dear — tell  me  what's  the  matter 
now." 

"Oh,  it's  nothing,"  she  answered,  vaguely.  "Only 
I  keep  listening  to  that  old  surf  and  the  wind  and  I — 
oh,  I  can't  get  to  sleep."  I  begin  to  think  and 
think " 

"Think  of  what?"  queried  Lucile,  then  added 
quickly.  "Jessie,  dear,  you're  not  telling  me  every- 
thing— you  know  you're  not.  There's  something  the 
matter  between  you  and  Phil.  What  is  it — have  you 


Exciting  Developments  173 

quarreled  ?  Tell  me,  dear — it  will  make  you  feel  ever 
so  much  better." 

"Lucy,  I  can't !  It  was  all  so  foolish,  anyway. 
Why,  as  I  think  about  it,  I  can  hardly  remember  how 
it  started.  He  took  offence  at  something  I  said  and 
then — oh,  he  treated  me  shamefully,  Lucile !" 

"But  it  was  something  you  said  that  started  it  all  ?" 
Lucile  questioned. 

"Y — yes,"  she  admitted,  grudgingly.  "But  that 
shouldn't  make  him  act  the  way  he  did." 

"In  other  words,  he  ought  to  swallow  everything 
you  say  and  not  resent  it,"  Lucile  interpreted,  merci- 
lessly. "That's  hardly  a  fair  way  to  look  at  it,  Jessie." 

"But  he  always  has  before,"  Jessie  wailed  miserably, 
and  in  spite  of  herself,  Lucile  laughed.  "Of  course,  if 
it's  all  a  joke  to  you,"  she  went  on  offendedly. 

"Oh,  Jessie,  dear,  it  isn't,"  Lucile  assured  her,  re- 
morsefully. "I  know  it's  mighty  serious — to  you  and 
Phil  especially.  But  since  you  started  it,  don't  you 
think  you  might  tell  him  you  were  sorry?" 

"Oh,  I  won't,"  she  declared,  sitting  bolt  upright 
and  gazing  defiantly  out  at  the  moon.  "I  couldn't. 
Could  you — if  Jack  hurt  you  that  way?"  she  de- 
manded, suddenly. 


174  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"I  might — if  I  knew  I  was  in  the  wrong." 

"Well,  /  couldn't,"  said  Jessie,  flopping  down  in 
the  bed  and  drawing  the  covers  up  about  her  rebel- 
liously. 

After  about  ten  minutes  of  silence  she  turned  to 
Lucile  again.  "I  couldn't,  Lucile,"  she  repeated. 

Lucile  stirred  sleepily.  "I'm  not  so  sure  of  that," 
she  said. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

PICTURES   IN    THE    FIRE 

IT  was  so  dark  when  Lucile  opened  her  eyes  that 
she  ^closed  them  tight  again,  thinking  it  must  still  be 
night  when  Jessie's  voice  startled  her  wide  awake  in 
a  moment. 

"Don't  you  dare  go  to  sleep  again,"  it  com- 
manded. "I've  been  watching  you  for  some  sign  of 
life  for  the  last  two  hours — or  maybe  it  was  more,  I 
don't  know." 

Lucile  rubbed  her  eyes  sleepily.  "Well,  I  hope  you 
enjoyed  it,"  she  chuckled.  "I  didn't  know  I  was  so 
fascinating." 

"You're  not,"  said  Jessie,  ungraciously.  "It  wasn't 
your  many  and  varied  charms  that  kept  me 
awake " 

"Prithee,  what  then,"  queried  Lucile,  taking  mental 
note  of  Jessie's  pallor  and  the  heavy  circles  under  her 
eyes,  but  determined  not  to  show  it. 

"What  then  ?"  Jessie  repeated.  "I  should  think  you 
could  hear  for  yourself." 

Lucile  sat  up,  clasped  her  hands  about  her  knees 
175 


176  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

and  regarded  the  landscape,  or  as  much  of  it  as  she 
could  see  from  her  windows,  thoughtfully. 

"Everything  does  look  rather  ruffled  up,  doesn't  it," 
she  said,  after  a  few  minutes.  "I  wonder  what  the 
weather  thinks  it's  doing,  anyway?" 

"That's  what  I've  been  trying  to  figure  out,"  said 
Jessie,  turning  away  disgustedly.  "If  that  surf  gets 
up  much  nearer  we'll  find  ourselves  en  route  for  dear 
old  London.  What  can  you  do  on  a  day  like  this, 
I'd  like  to  know." 

"Goodness,  I  should  think  you'd  pounce  on  the 
chance  to  get  your  trunk  unpacked,"  said  Lucile,  cheer- 
ily determined  to  look  on  the  sunny  side  of  things. 
"The  boys  can't  possibly  drag  us  out  in  this  wind  and 
rain.  I  wonder  if  your  Aunt  Edna  has  found  any 
trace  of  her  pin  yet  ?" 

"Probably  not,"  said  Jessie,  pessimistically.  "I 
wish  somebody  would  hurry  up  and  catch  those 
thieves,"  she  added.  "If  they  don't,  I'll  surely  have  an 
attack  of  jim-jams " 

"I  beg  pardon  ?"  Lucile  was  interested. 

"Jim-jams,"  Jessie  repeated  patiently.  "I  feel  them 
coming  on.  Why,  last  night  I  hardly  slept  a  wink — 
kept  imagining  I  heard  all  sorts  of  noises " 


Pictures  in  the  Fire  177 

"Jessie,"  cried  Lucile,  amusement  and  disbelief  in 
her  tone,  "you  never  were  like  that  before  -  " 

"Well,  everything's  got  to  start  sometime,  hasn't  it," 
Jessie  retorted,  reasonably.  "I  tell  you,  those  burglars 
have  to  be  caught." 

"Well,  if  you'll  just  wait  till  I  get  my  things 
on  -  " 

Jessie  began  to  laugh  hysterically.  "Lucy,"  she 
gasped,  "I  love  you  -  " 

"Thanks,"    said   Lucile,   gratefully,    "but   might   I 


"Oh,  come  down  here  and  let  me  hug  you,"  cried 
Jessie,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word.  "You're  so 
foolish,  you  make  me  feel  better.  Oh,  don't  go  away," 
she  begged,  holding  on  the  tighter  as  Lucile  drew  back 
in  feigned  indignation.  "I  didn't  mean  it  —  truly  I 
didn't  -  " 

"Oh,  I  am  not  angry,"  in  a  sepulchral  voice,  some- 
what smothered  by  Jessie's  strangle  hold.  "I  am 
only  hurt  -  " 

"Who's  hurting  you?"  came  a  cheerful  voice  from 
beside  the  bed,  and  the  two  laughing  girls  looked  up 
flushed  and  breathless  to  find  Marjorie  gazing  down 
upon  them  severely. 


178  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Hello,  Marj,"  Lucile  greeted.  "Why,  the  eagle 
stare — I  feel  bored  through  already." 

"We  didn't  do  anything,"  Jessie  added,  meekly. 
"Honest,  teacher,  we  didn't  mean  it." 

"Didn't  mean  it,"  sniffed  Marjorie,  her  stern  as- 
pect belied  by  the  twinkle  in  her  eye.  "Just  look  at 
the  condition  of  this  place — it  looks  as  though  a 
cyclone  had  struck  it " 

"Oh,  is  that  all?"  sighed  Jessie,  in  profound  relief. 
"I  thought  you  might  have  discovered  all  those  hid- 
den jewels  in  my  inside  pocket " 

Marjorie  seized  a  hair  brush  and  held  it  threaten- 
ingly aloft.  "Quick,"  she  cried.  "The  whereabouts 
of  that  pocket — or " 

Jessie  tarried  not  for  the  ending  of  the  sentence. 
She  was  out  of  bed  at  a  bound  and  had  barricaded 
herself  behind  a  chair,  from  which  fortress  she  chal- 
lenged all  comers. 

"Come  one,  come  all,"  she  cried.  "I  will  protect 
those  jewels  with  my  life." 

"A  little  less  noise,  please,"  came  a  cheerful,  mascu- 
line voice  from  outside  the  door,  and  Jessie's  face 
clouded  instantly.  "Jim  and  I  thought  the  burglars 
had  arrived.  What's  all  the  fuss  about?" 


Pictures  in  the  Fire  179 

"Oh,  nothing — only  that  we've  found  the  thief," 
Marjorie  answered.  "Jessie  has  confessed." 

"Good,"  Phil  applauded.  "We'll  hand  her  over  to 
justice  after  breakfast.  Meanwhile,  come  down  and 
eat." 

Considering  this  very  good  advice,  the  girls  hustled 
into  their  dresses  and  were  soon  ready  to  follow  it. 
Outside  the  rain  still  poured  down  steadily,  and  the 
surf  continued  its. thunderous  undertone,  but  the  wind 
had  died  down  till  it  was  scarcely  noticeable,  and  only 
occasional  gusts  attested  to  its  former  violence. 

Lucile  put  her  arm  about  Jessie  as  they  started 
down-stairs.  "Try  to  do  as  I  said  last  night,  won't 
you,  dear?"  she  whispered.  "I'm  sure  it's  the  best 
way." 

"I  can't,"  said  Jessie,  stubbornly.  "I  know  you're 
right,  Lucy,  but  I  simply  can't — it  isn't  in  me,  I  guess." 

After  breakfast  they  gathered  in  the  pretty  living 
room,  undecided  as  to  their  next  move.  The  events 
of  the  night  before  and  reports  of  previous  robberies 
had  been  discussed,  pulled  apart  and  pieced  together 
again,  until  every  possible  conjecture  had  been  con- 
jectured and  every  possible  remedy  had  been  sug- 
gested. 


180  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

"I  suppose  Jack  and  Ray  won't  be  over  in  this 
weather,"  after  a  pause  in  the  conversation,  during 
which  each  had  been  busy  with  his  or  her  own 
thoughts.  "They  can't  bring  the  auto  and  it's  a  pretty 
big  walk." 

''I'd  like  to  be  as  sure  of  a  hundred  dollars,"  Jim 
prophesied,  "as  I  am  that  Jack  and  Ray  will  be  here 
some  time  to-day.  A  little  rain  won't  stop  them." 

"Jim,  you're  an  optimist,"  said  Phil  regarding  the 
steady  downpour  moodily.  "Allow  me  to  congratulate 
you!" 

"Well,  I  know  what  I'm  going  to  do,"  said  Lucile, 
rising  with  decision.  "I'm  going  to  put  away  some 
of  my  dresses  and  get  the  room  in  order — by  that 
time  the  sun  ought  to  be  shining." 

"Jim,  you  have  a  rival,"  said  Phil,  waving  his  hand 
in  Lucile's  direction.  "For  my  part,  I  think  this  rain 
is  going  to  last  a  week." 

"So  much  the  better,"  said  Lucile,  refusing  to  be 
downed.  "We  can  put  on  our  bathing  suits  and  take 
a  dip.  Rain  water's  good  for  the  complexion,  any- 
way!" She  threw  him  a  little  mocking  kiss  and  a  mo- 
ment later  was  racing  the  girls  upstairs. 

Regarding  Jessie's  flushed  face  and  bright  eyes,  it 


Pictures  in  the  Fire  181 

was  little  wonder,  thought  Lucile,  that  Phil  seemed 
depressed.  How  could  he  know  what  had  happened 
last  night? 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  girls  sat  down  and  looked 
at  each  other.  They  had  put  their  own  room  in  per- 
fect order;  in  fact,  there  was  not  even  a  stray  pin  to 
be  found  anywhere,  and  now  it  was  still  raining  out- 
side and  there  was  nothing  to  do. 

"We  might  write  some  letters,"  Evelyn  was  suggest- 
ing, hopefully,  when  the  sound  of  voices  below  made 
them  start  to  their  feet. 

"I  knew  it,"  cried  Lucile,  flinging  open  the  door. 
"It's  Jack  and  Ray — now,  maybe  we'll  hear  some 
news." 

If  the  boys  had  had  any  doubt  of  their  reception, 
it  was  dissipated  a  moment  later  when  the  four  girls 
precipitated  themselves  upon  them,  showering  them 
with  excited  questions. 

"Well,  this  is  the  sort  of  welcome  home  I  enjoy," 
said  Jack,  taking  off  his  dripping  mackintosh  and 
beaming  round  upon  them.  "I  didn't  think  we  were 
so  popular,  Ray." 

"Thank  the  rain  for  it,"  said  Jessie,  impishly. 
"We're  just  about  bored  to  death." 


182  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

"Oh,"  said  Jack,  drawing  in  a  long  breath.  "So 
that's  the  way  you  feel  about  it.  Well,  we're  going 
to  stay  a  little  while  anyway." 

"I  should  say  so,"  Phil  agreed.  "Jim  and  I  need 
company.  What  do  you  suppose  these  girls  have  been 
doing  all  morning?" 

"Ask  us  something  easy,"  said  Ray.  "I  have  yet  to 
meet  the  fellow  who  can  tell  what  a  girl  will  do  next." 

"Good;  keep  'em  guessing,"  Evelyn  commented,  as 
they  sauntered  into  the  living  room.  "It's  the  only 
sensible  way  to  treat  them." 

"Say,  I'm  beginning  to  think  this  is  no  place  for  us," 
said  Jack,  looking  back  in  dismay  at  Evelyn's  mis- 
chievous face.  "What  have  you  been  doing  in  our 
absence — holding  a  suffrage  meeting?" 

"I  guess  you  struck  it,"  said  Phil,  gloomily.  "I 
never  saw  such  a  crowd — they  have  no  gratitude  what1 
ever  for  their  brave  protectors." 

"That  reminds  me,  Jack,"  Jessie  cut  in.  "How  is 
Aunt  Edna  to-day?" 

"Oh,  considerably  worried,"  he  answered.  "Of 
course,  they  haven't  found  anything  yet  and  the 
weather — well,  it  hasn't  cheered  her  any  There's  no 
doubt  about  it,  those  crooks  are  experts !" 


Pictures  in  the  Fire  183 

"Oh,  dear,"  said  Marjorie,  plaintively.  "Here  they 
start  talking  of  crooks  again — and  it's  getting  dark, 
too!" 

"Jack?"  queried  Lucile,  seemingly  a  propos  of  noth- 
ing. "Can  you  tell  me  what  earthly  use  a  fireplace 
is  if  you  don't  have  a  fire?" 

"You've  got  me,"  he  answered,  inelegantly,  smiling 
down  upon  her.  "Does  that  mean  you  want  one?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  murmured,  stretching  out  her  feet 
to  an  imaginary  blaze.  "It's  just  cool  enough  to  make 
it  delightful,  and  then  Marj  won't  have  to  worry  about 
burglars  or  anything  else." 

"How  about  it,  Phil?"  Jack  queried.  "Do  you  sup- 
pose there's  any  wood  around  the  place?" 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  but  we  could  ask  Mrs. 
Wescott's  permission  to  find  out.  There's  probably 
some  down  in  the  cellar." 

"Oh,  nice!"  exclaimed  Evelyn,  happily.  "Lucile, 
you  know  I  always  said  you  were  a  wonder — now  I 
repeat  it." 

"Thanks,  dear,"  said  Lucile,  contentedly  munching 
some  candy  the  boys  had  brought.  "I  think  it  was 
something  of  an  inspiration  myself." 

"Don't  count  too  much  on  it,  though,"  Phil  admon- 


184  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

ished  as  they  left  the  room.  "Remember,  we  haven't 
found  the  wood  yet." 

However,  they  did  find  it,  and  a  good  deal  more 
besides — the  latter  being  an  excellent  supper  prepared 
by  the  middle-aged  amazon  herself  and  superintended 
by  their  thoughtful  little  guardian.  When  the  boys, 
finding  her  in  the  kitchen,  inquired  for  the  kindling 
wood,  she  gave  them  full  directions,  and  then  sug- 
gested that  they  have  the  table  set  in  the  living  room 
before  the  fire.  Needless  to  say,  this  last  was  greeted 
with  enthusiasm — the  result  being  the  j oiliest  little 
dinner  they  had  ever  sat  down  to. 

When  it  was  cleared  away  at  last,  and  they  had  set- 
tled themselves  in  a  cheerful  semi-circle  about  the 
blazing  logs,  content  reigned  supreme  and  undisputed 
over  the  little  group. 

"Play  something,  won't  you,  Lucy,"  Marjorie  sug- 
gested, after  a  few  moments  of  general  conversation 
about  nothing  in  particular.  "Something  soft  and 
soothing — you  know!" 

"Go  ahead,  Lucile,"  urged  Jack.  "I  don't  think  I've 
ever  heard  you  play  before." 

Lucile  rose  rather  reluctantly  and  turned  toward  the 
piano.  "All  right,"  she  said.  "Only  don't  expect 


Pictures  in  the  Fire  185 

much — I'm  too  lazy  to  play  anything  big — let's  sing 
some  of  the  old  songs." 

It  was  a  pretty  picture  as  they  sat  there,  the  young 
faces  outlined  in  the  firelight  and  their  whole  hearts 
in  the  sweet  old  melodies  they  were  singing.  When 
at  last  they  had  exhausted  their  repertoire  and  Lucile's 
hands  rested  idly  on  the  keys,  Jack  leaned  over,  his 
handsome  eyes  searching  her  face. 

"Lucile,"  he  said,  speaking  so  low  that  nobody  could 
overhear,  "do  you  care  anything  about  me  at  all?" 

"Oh,  Jack,"  she  pleaded,  raising  her  eyes  to  his 
earnest  face.  "You — you  know  I — do " 

"How  much?"  he  asked.  "Lucile — "  his  eager 
hand  reached  over  and  caught  her's,  but  she  drew  it 
away  again.  "Maybe  I'm  foolish,"  he  went  on, 
quickly.  "But  I'm  jealous  of  everyone  that  looks  at 
you " 

She  glanced  up,  this  time  in  real  surprise.  "Jeal- 
ous," she  repeated.  "Jealous  of  whom?" 

"Everybody,"  he  replied,  savagely.  "And  now 
that  fool  of  a  Joe  Bennett  wants  an  introduction " 

"Is  that  why  you  call  him  a  fool?"  she  asked,  de- 
murely, her  eyes  on  the  keys. 

"You  know  it  isn't,"  he  answered.    "Lucile,  I'm  not 


186  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

joking — I  never  was  so  serious  in  my  life.  I  guess 
you  don't  know  just  how  much  you  mean  to  me. 
Sometime,  will  you  let  me  tell  you " 

"Aren't  we*  going  to  have  any  more  music,"  Marjo- 
rie  asked,  as  the  conversation  about  the  fireplace 
lagged.  "Give  us  something  of  your  own  this  time, 
Lucy." 

As  Lucile  obligingly  coaxed  out  a  dreamy  little 
waltz  tune,  Jack  bent  over  still  closer.  "Will  you?" 
he  whispered. 

There  was  something  new  added  to  the  laughter  in 
her  eyes  as  she  raised  them  to  his — something  that 
set  his  pulses  beating  madly  and  made  him  want  to 
shout  aloud  for  joy. 

But  her  only  answer  was  an  almost  imperceptible 
nod  of  her  head. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

FAIRY   GODMOTHERS 

"ARE  you  sure  you  don't  know  her?" 

It  was  a  week  after  the  big  storm  and  Lucile  with 
Jack  and  Joe  Bennett  was  seated  on  the  sand,  gazing 
out  over  the  water.  The  latter  had  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining the  asked-for  introduction  and  had  followed 
Lucile  around  like  her  shadow  ever  since.  Jack  had 
tried  by  every  means  in  his  power  to  shake  off  the  in- 
truder, but  his  efforts  had  met  with  little  success,  and 
he  had  grimly  decided  to  bide  his  time.  The  worst  of 
it  was,  he  reflected,  watching  the  two  between  half- 
closed  eyes,  that  Lucile  actually  seemed  to  enjoy  the 
fellow's  company ! 

Well,  Joe  was  funny,  there  could  be  no  denying 
that.  Short  and  round  was  Joe,  with  a  good-natured 
faculty  for  making  people  laugh  that  insured  him  a 
welcome  wherever  he  went.  His  eyes  had  a  droll  way 
of  laughing  while  the  rest  of  his  face  was  as  solemn 

as  a  sphinx.    Oh,  there  could  be  no  doubt  about  it — 

187 


188  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

Lucile  enjoyed  his  society.  If  only  she  wouldn't  look 
so  pretty — hang  the  fellow,  anyway!  Jack  glowered, 
but  evidently  nobody  took  any  notice  of  him.  Of 
course  not — why  should  they?  he  reflected  bitterly. 

"If  I  do,  I  must  have  met  her  sleep-walking,"  Joe 
was  saying,  in  answer  to  her  question.  "And  from 
your  description  of  the  lady,  I  hope  my  luck  holds!" 

"Perhaps  you'd  like  her  if  you  saw  her,"  Lucile  re- 
turned. "You  never  can  tell." 

Joe  dribbled  a  handful  of  sand  between  his  fingers 
and  looked  up  at  her  reproachfully.  "Please  give  my 
good  sense  some  credit,"  he  begged.  "I  don't  run  to 
ladies  of  the  spinster  variety — in  fact,  I'm  much  more 
likely  to  run  the  other  way." 

"Then  it's  up  to  me  to  find  that  girl,"  said  Jack, 
dryly.  "I'd  like  to  see  just  how  far  you  could  run, 
Joe — in  the  opposite  direction." 

"Don't  do  it,  Jack,  don't  do  it,"  begged  Joe,  his  eyes 
twinkling.  "I  know  you  want  to  get  rid  of  me,  but 
please  take  some  less  painful  means — why,  I'd  even 
lend  you  my  revolver " 

"No,  that  would  be  too  easy,"  Jack  returned.  "Be- 
sides, I  might  get  caught " 

"Not  the  way  things  are  run  these  days,"  Lucile 


l('airy  Godmothers  189 

broke  in  quickly.  "Especially  in  Tanike.  Why,  any- 
body couid  murder  a  man,  hide  the  body  and  go  on 
about  his  business  with  no  questions  asked !" 

Joe  looked  worried.  "Guess  it's  time  I  hired  a  body- 
guard," he  ventured.  "You  weren't  serious  or  any- 
thing just  now,  were  you,  Jack?" 

"I  hope  he  was,"  Lucile  laughed ;  "about  finding  the 
girl,  anyway.  Are  you  sure  you  don't  know  anything 
about  her,  Jack — you  know  almost  everyone  in  the 
place." 

"Sure  I  do,"  said  Jack  lazily.     "I  know  her,  too!" 

Joe  sat  bolt  upright  in  his  amazement.  "Well,  I'll 
be  hanged!"  he  marvelled. 

"Go  right  ahead,"  Jack  was  beginning,  pleasantly, 
when  Lucile  seized  his  arm  and  shook  it  excitedly. 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  me,"  she  reproached  him.  "It 
wasn't  fair  to  let  us  go  on  talking  about  it  when  you 
knew  all  the  time.  Are  you  sure  you  have  the  right 
one?" 

"There  couldn't  be  two  like  that  in  the  same  town," 
he  answered.  "They're  few  and  far  between,  thank 
heaven !" 

"Jack,"  cried  Lucile,  her  eyes  blazing,  "it  isn't  fair 
of  either  you  or  Joe  to  talk  that  way.  You  never  stop 


190  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

to  think  how  fine  a  girl  may  be  personally — her  looks 
are  everything " 

"You  said  it,"  murmured  Joe,  recovering  from  his 
surprise,  and  stretching  himself  out  at  full  length 
where  he  could  blink  up  lazily  at  the  sun.  "You  sure 
said  it  that  time." 

Lucile  stared,  then  began  to  laugh  in  spite  of  her- 
self. "It's  all  very  well  for  you  to  make  fun  of  her," 
she  went  on,  trying  to  be  serious,  "but  it's  not  so  much 
fun  for  the  girl — I  can  tell  you  that!" 

Joe  chuckled.  "I  don't  see  how,"  he  commented. 
"You  sure  can't  know  from  experience."  He  had 
been  comparing  the  pink  of  Lucile's  little  sport  jacket 
to  the  roses  in  her  cheeks,  and  had  decided  that  the 
match  was  perfect — therefore,  the  remarks  was  very 
a  propos. 

But  Lucile  was  not  to  be  placated  so  easily.  "I  don't 
care,"  she  persisted,  petulantly.  "It  isn't  fair  to  leave 
a  girl  like  that  out  of  everything." 

"What  would  you  like  us  to  do,"  Jack  queried,  po- 
litely. "Go  up  and  ask  her  to  the  dance  to-night?" 

"Oh,  exactly,"  cried  Lucile,  turning  eagerly  to  him. 
"If  someone  only  would !" 

"Why  pick  on  us?"  Joe  queried,  plaintively.     "Ask 


Fairy  Godmothers  191 

one  of  the  new  fellows  up  at  the  house.  They  haven't 
been  here  long  enough  to  know  what  they're  up 
against." 

"May  I  ask  what  you  expect  to  do  while  Joe  and  I 
are  fighting  for  first  place  at  your  obscure  friend's 
feet,"  Jack  asked  with  biting  sarcasm.  "You  can't  go 
to  the  dance  alone,  you  know." 

"I  don't  expect  to,"  she  retorted.  "You  don't  have 
to  leave  me  out  just  because  she  goes." 

Jack  sighed  and  turned  away.  "Well,  let  Joe  do  it," 
he  said. 

"Then  I  can't  expect  any  help  from  either  of  you," 
she  said,  looking  from  one  to  the  other.  "You  just 
mean  to  ignore  her." 

"Oh,  Lucile,"  cried  Jack  in  desperation,  "do  be  sen- 
sible. Why,  we  don't  even  know  that  the  girl  can 
dance.  We'd  look  nice,  wouldn't  we — dragging  her 
around  ?  We'd  have  a  crowd  following  us  in  five  min- 
utes." 

"Well,  you'd  be  interesting  for  once  in  your  lives, 
anyway,"  she  retorted,  getting  up  and  stretching  her 
arms  above  her  head.  "Oh,  boys,  I'd  love  to  go  in 
for  a  swim,  now,"  she  added,  changing  the  subject. 
"The  water  looks  wonderful." 


192  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"There's  no  reason  why  you  can't,"  said  Jack,  shak- 
ing out  his  coat.  "We  could  take  half  an  hour's  dip 
anyway  before  it's  time  to  get  ready  for  to-night." 

But  Lucile  shook  her  head  and  turned  reluctantly 
away.  "I'm  afraid  it  wouldn't  be  worth  the  trouble," 
she  decided.  "If  you  boys  will  take  me  back  to  the 
cottage,  I  think  I'll  rest  up  a  little.  We  may  meet  Jes- 
sie and  Marj  on  the  way." 

"I  say,  what's  your  awful  hurry?"  Joe  remon- 
strated, getting  up  reluctantly.  "You  don't  look  as  if 
you  needed  any  rest,  you  know.  It's  cruelty  to  leave 
us  like  this !" 

"Sorry,"  she  laughed.  "But  I'll  have  to  go  just 
the  same.  The  girls  will  be  wondering  what  has  be- 
come of  me." 

A  few  minutes  later  they  said  good-bye  to  her, 
promising  to  return  in  plenty  of  time  for  the  dance, 
and  she  ran  up  to  her  room,  hoping  to  find  the  girls 
there  before  her.  She  was  not  disappointed,  for,  as 
she  opened  the  door  a  chorus  of  questions  were  flung 
at  her.  Marjorie  was  lying  on  the  bed,  Jessie  was 
sitting  on  it  and  Evelyn  was  standing  before  them 
both,  holding  a  box  of  candies  behind  her." 

"Hello,   Lucy,   where   you  been?"   Jessie   greeted, 


Fairy  Godmothers  193 

adding  in  the  same  breath,  "make  Evelyn  give  me 
some  more  candy." 

Lucile  laughed  and  flung  herself  on  the  foot  of  the 
bed.  "That  sounds  easy,"  she  said.  "But  Evelyn's 
getting  mighty  strong  these  days  with  the  exercise  and 
everything.  Besides,  I'm  not  so  sure  you  ought  to 
have  any  more — it  will  spoil  your  perfectly  good  com- 
plexion." 

"And  I  thought  you  were  a  friend  of  mine,  Lucy," 
Jessie  reproached  her.  "All  right,  Evelyn,  be  mean 
if  you  want  to." 

"Thanks,"  said  Evelyn,  selecting  a  delicious  choco- 
late with  a  nut  on  top.  "I  have  always  wished  to  be 
mean  above  everything  else." 

"I  believe  you,"  said  Jessie,  bitterly,  making  a  dive 
for  the  box.  "There's  one  sure  thing — if  I  don't  get 
any,  neither  will  you,"  and  in  the  ensuing  scramble 
Evelyn  dropped  the  box  and  the  liberated  chocolates 
rolled  to  every  corner  of  the  room. 

"Now,  see  what  you  made  me  do,"  exclaimed  the 
latter,  regarding  the  wreck  and  ruin  despairingly. 
"Well,  you've  got  to  pick  them  up,  Jessie,  that's  all." 

Jessie  was  just  about  to  retort  when  Lucile  held  up 
her  hand  imploringly.  "Peace,  my  children,"  she 


194  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

begged.  "I  have  a  proposition  to  make.  Let  the  one 
who  picks  up  the  most  candies  in  the  shortest  time  se- 
lect the  largest,  juiciest  and  most  delicious  morsel  of 
them  all  to  eat  at  her  leisure  and  with  no  interference 
from  parties  outside." 

There  was  an  ecstatic  whoop  from  Jessie  and 
Evelyn,  and  they  began  to  dive  into  corners  with  an 
energy  worthy  of  a  nobler  cause,  while  Lucile  and 
Marjorie  sat  by  with  the  solemn  air  of  judges. 

When  Jessie  had  been  pronounced  winner  and  had 
consumed  the  prize  with  her  customary  relish,  Lucile 
brought  the  conversation  around  to  the  strange  girl, 
whom  she  had  not  seen  since  that  first  encounter  on 
the  beach. 

"Jack  knows  her,"  she  announced,  "and  he's  kept 
it  to  himself  all  this  time.  I  don't  understand  it." 

"Well,  I  do,"  said  Marjorie.  "He  probably  thinks 
you  have  something  better  to  do  than  go  chasing  her- 
mit ladies  to  their  lairs.  I  think  you're  treating  Jack 
shamefully,  Lucile." 

Lucile  reddened  angrily,  but  Marjorie  continued 
her  merciless  tirade.  "Anybody  can  see  he's  only 
thinking  of  you — and,  believe  me,  there  are  plenty 
who  would  like  to  be  in  your  place." 


Fairy  Godmothers  195 

"How  do  you  know,"  Lucile  interrupted,  quickly. 

"Oh — from  observation,"  said  Marjorie.  "And 
how  do  you  repay  him  ?  By  letting  that  little  whipper- 
snapper  of  a  Joe  Bennett  trail  around  at  your  heels  all 
day — why  he  can  no  more  compare  with  Jack " 

Then  it  was  Lucile  snapped  out  a  retort  she  would 
have  given  all  the  money  she  owned  to  retract  the  next 
instant.  "Perhaps,"  she  said  coldly — "perhaps  you 
are  one  of  those  who  would  like  to  take  my  place," 
then,  at  the  look  of  absolute  amazement  and  hurt  sur- 
prise in  Marjorie's  face,  she  added,  remorsefully,  "oh, 
Marjie,  dear,  I'm  sorry — please  forget  it.  Of  course, 
I  didn't  mean  it — you  know  that." 

"I  hope  you  didn't,"  said  Marjorie,  turning  away. 

"Oh,  girls,  girls,"  cried  Evelyn,  desperately,  "It 
seems  to  me  we  have  one  quarrel  right  after  another 
these  days.  They're  so  foolish,  too." 

"That's  what  I  say,"  Jessie  agreed,  soberly.  "Must 
be  the  reason  why  we  never  have  any,  Evelyn." 

Marjorie  and  Lucile  looked  at  each  other,  and  for 
the  life  of  them  could  not  help  laughing,  and  so  once 
more  good  humor  saved  the  situation. 

"I  tell  you  what  we'll  do,"  Jessie  suggested,  de- 
lighted at  this  unusual  chance  to  play  peacemaker. 


196  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"We  must  all  enter  into  a  solemn  compact  not  to  quar- 
rel. If  one  starts  it,  the  other  three  must  immediately 
and  with  one  accord  jump  upon  her " 

"At  that  rate,  our  doctor's  bills  will  amount  to  more 
than  the  rent,"  said  Marjorie  dryly. 

"Ooh,  crushed,"  said  Jessie,  laughing.  "I  didn't 
mean  it  literally,  you  goose !" 

"I  beg  pardon,"  said  Evelyn  mildly.  "You  didn't 
mean  it,  which?" 

"Evelyn,"  said  Jessie,  with  a  sorrowful  shake  of  her 
head.  "Sometime  some  one  will  think  you're  as  stupid 
as  you  act,  and  then " 

"Well,  as  long  as  they  only  think  so,  it's  all  right," 
said  Evelyn,  philosophically.  "They  have  a  surprise 
in  store  for  them,  that's  all.  Oh,  Marjorie,  do  stop 
yawning — you  make  me  feel  sleepier  than  I  am." 

"Goodness,  what  a  lively  party,"  Lucile  remarked. 
"I  hope  we  wake  up  by  to-night." 

"Which  reminds  me  that  evening  is  upon  us  and 
we  haven't  even  started  to  get  ready  yet,"  said  Jessie. 
"I  wonder  if  your  modern  Cinderella  will  be  there, 
Lucy.  If  she  is,  you'll  have  a  chance  to  play  fairy 
godmother  to  the  fair  damsel." 

"I  wish  you'd  stop  making  fun  of  her  once  in  a 


Fairy  Godmothers  197 

while,  and  try  to  sympathize  instead,"  Lucile  replied 
earnestly.  "It's  all  very  well  for  you  girls  to  take  it 
like  a  huge  joke,  but  it  wouldn't  be  so  funny  if  any 
one  of  you  were  in  her  shoes.  I  thought  you  would 
help  me  to  be  friendly,  but  it  seems  I'll  have  to  do  it 
all  alone." 

Jessie's  laughing  face  sobered  and  she  sat  down  be- 
side Lucile  on  the  bed,  and  with  an  arm  about  her, 
solemnly  pledged  herself  to  the  cause.  "I  didn't  real- 
ize before  that  you  were  so  much  in  earnest,  dear,"  she 
said.  "If  this  girl  is  really  unhappy,  and  we  can  do 
anything  to  make  her  happier,  why  of  course  we'll  do 
our  best." 

"That's  what  I  say,"  Evelyn  agreed,  and  Marjorie 
added,  practically.  "How  do  you  expect  to  go  about 
it,  Lucy?" 

"I  haven't  made  up  my  mind  yet,"  she  answered, 
smiling  radiantly  upon  them.  "What  I  wanted  most 
was  to  make  you  girls  as  enthusiastic  as  I  am.  That 
was  the  most  important  part.  Oh,  I'm  so  glad." 

"That  sounds  good,"  said  a  voice  from  the  door, 
and  they  turned  to  find  their  guardian  smiling  at  them. 
"But  don't  you  think  it's  time  to  dress?  Supper  will 
be  ready  before  long." 


198  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Oh,  we  know  it,  we  know  it,"  cried  Lucile,  joy- 
fully dragging  Mrs.  Wescott  into  the  room.  "But 
you  must  listen  to  what  we  have  to  say  first — please !" 

The  latter  laughingly  consented,  and  for  a  little 
while  they  again  forgot  the  imminence  of  the  big 
dance. 

"Well,"  sighed  Lucile,  as  she  slipped  into  her  ex- 
quisite little  evening  dress,  "I  only  hope  by  some 
miracle  she  will  be  there  to-night.  Then  we  can  start 
in  right  away !" 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE   DANCE 

THE  scene  was  a  brilliant  one,  as  our  four  girls 
with  their  escorts  entered  the  magnificently  appointed 
ball-room  of  the  summer  hotel.  There  were  flowers 
all  about,  and  the  electric  lights  blazed  upon  more  col- 
ors and  combinations  of  colors  than  have  ever  been 
found  in  the  rainbow— or  so  it  seemed  to  the  girls. 
They  themselves  formed  a  very  conspicuous  part  of 
the  tone  picture — in  fact,  the  boys  were  proudly  con- 
scious of  escorting  the  prettiest  group  of  girls  in  the 
room. 

As  they  passed  a  party  of  laughing  young  folks, 
one  of  the  girls  beckoned  to  them,  and  they  stopped  to 
exchange  greetings.  By  this  time,  the  strangers  from 
Burleigh  had  become  known  throughout  Tanike, 
thanks  to  Jack,  and  were  almost  universally  liked. 
There  were  two  exceptions,  however,  Peggy  Bright 
and  Janet  Conklin,  to  whom  Jack  and  Ray  had  been 

more  or  less  attentive  before  the  arrival  of  our  party. 

199 


200  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

Quite  naturally,  perhaps,  they  had  felt  a  growing  re- 
sentment and  had  resolved  in  the  rather  vulgar  ver- 
nacular of  the  time  to  "get  even." 

Peggy  Bright  was  the  girl  who  had  beckoned  to  our 
group.  She  was  undeniably  handsome,  and  being 
handsome  was  not  without  admirers  among  the  young 
fellows  of  Tanike.  Yet,  here  was  Jack,  by  far  the 
best  known  and  most  popular  of  them  all,  deliberately 
passing  by  her  charms  for  those  of  a  little  back-woods 
country  girl.  It  couldn't  last  much  longer,  that  was 
certain. 

Meanwhile,  sublimely  unconscious  of  all  this  an- 
tagonism, Lucile  was  having  the  time  of  her  life.  Al- 
ways at  her  best  on  such  occasions,  she  was  unusually 
so  to-night.  As  her  excitement  grew,  the  rich  color 
rose,  flooding  all  her  face  and  bringing  out  the  spark- 
ling mischief  in  her  eyes,  while  her  quaintly  clever 
little  speeches  kept  them  all  in  gales  of  laughter.  As 
he  watched  the  growing  admiration  of  his  friends, 
Jack  had  an  uneasy  feeling  that  Joe  Bennett  might  not 
be  the  only  one  for  whom  his  friendship  should  be 
forced  to  undergo  a  sudden  and  drastic  change. 

Then  the  orchestra  struck  up,  and  with  a  sense  of 
relief  he  whirled  his  lovely  little  partner  out  upon  the 


The  Dance  201 

almost  empty  floor,  rejoicing  in  the  fact  that  for  the 
length  of  this  dance  at  least,  he  would  have  her  to 
himself. 

"Jack,"  she  gasped,  "nobody's  started  yet — we're 
almost  the  first  ones." 

"So  much  the  better,"  he  laughed  down  at  her.  "It 
will  give  them  a  chance  to  see  some  real  dancing." 

"My,  don't  we  like  us,"  she  teased,  adding,  impul- 
sively, "just  the  same,  I'd  rather  dance  with  you  than 
anyone  else  in  the  world,  Jack." 

The  arm  about  her  waist  tightened  spasmodically, 
and  he  looked  down  joyfully  into  the  dark  eyes  raised 
to  meet  his.  "Do  you  mean  that?"  he  demanded. 

"Of  course,"  she  said;  adding  with  a  demure  little 
veiling  of  her  eyes,  "aren't  you  the  best  dancer  in  the 
room?" 

"Oh,"  he  ejaculated,  while  his  mouth  set  grimly,  "so 
that's  the  only  reason." 

She  flashed  him  a  placating,  uncertain  little  smile, 
and  Jack  forgave  her  even  before  she  spoke.  Who 
could  help  forgiving  Lucile,  he  wondered — certainly 
not  he ! 

"Please  forgive  me,  Jack,"  she  said.  "I  say  so 
many  things  I  don't  mean " 


202  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"If  I  could  only  get  you  to  say  what  you  do  mean, 
just  once,"  he  interrupted  her,  fervently,  "I'd  die 
happy.  They'll  have  to  give  us  an  encore  to  that,"  he 
added  as  the  muse  stopped  and  a  frantic  clapping  of 
hands  began,  to  which  he  himself  contributed  consider- 
able aid.  They  were  not  disappointed — the  music 
started  once  more,  and  he  carried  her  off  into  the 
whirling  vortex  of  brilliant  colors. 

After  that,  half  the  evening  had  passed  before  he 
had  another  opportunity  for  a  word  with  her — so  thick 
and  fast  had  demands  for  dances  with  his  popular  lit- 
tle partner  rained  in  upon  him.  While  he  inwardly 
railed  at  fate  and  at  them,  his  outward  calm  was  per- 
fect, and  he  signed  away  his  precious  dances  with  the 
feeling  of  a  martyr  who  sees  his  last  hope  rapidly 
departing.  However,  there  were  four  dances  he  had 
reserved  for  himself,  and  it  would  have  taken  actual 
force  to  have  wrested  them  from  him. 

So  it  was  that  when  their  next  dance  had  come  he 
led  her  gently  toward  one  of  the  little  balconies  that 
lined  the  ball-room  instead  of  joining  the  throng  on 
the  floor. 

"Where  are  we  going?"  she  queried  in  surprise, 
"don't  you  want  to  dance?" 


The  Dance  203 

"Not  just  now,"  he  answered,  quietly.  "I'd  rather 
talk  to  you." 

Lucile  was  rather  dimly  aware  that  he  was  not 
asking  her  will  in  the  matter  one  way  or  the  other,  and 
somehow  she  liked  it.  It  was  novel  to  be  dictated  to 
in  this  lordly  manner — especially  by  Jack. 

He  pushed  the  curtain  aside  and  stepped  out  onto 
the  picturesque  little  balcony.  The  night  was  brilliant 
with  starlight,  and  the  moon  cast  a  silvery  radiance 
over  the  water,  whose  murmuring  undertone  sounded 
soft  and  strangely  soothing,  like  a  night-time  lullaby. 
It  was  in  such  marked  contrast  to  the  magnificently 
artificial  scene  they  had  left  that  Lucile  stretched  out 
her  arms  in  silent  tribute  to  the  beauty  of  the  night. 
Then  she  turned  to  Jack  with  a  happy  sigh. 

"Everything's  wonderful,"  she  murmured.  "Oh, 
Jack,  I'm  having  such  a  good  time !" 

"That's  good — I  wish  I  were,  he  returned  mood- 
ily. "Never  had  so  much  trouble  to  hang  on  to  a  few 
dances  in  my  life.  They're  all  crazy!" 

"What — the  dances  or  the  dancers?"  she  queried, 
demurely,  glancing  up  at  him  out  of  the  corners  of 
her  eyes. 

"Both,  everything,"  he  declared,  dramatically;  then, 


204  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

as  Lucile  laughed  at  his  vehemence,  he  came  a  little 
closer,  saying,  earnestly,  "I  wish  you  wouldn't  laugh, 
Lucile — always.  Perhaps  you  think  I  don't  mean 
what  I  say — that  I've  done  the  same  thing  before — 
that  I'm  only  acting — do  you?" 

"N — no,"  she  stammered,  moving  back  a  step  or 
two.  She  was  always  a  little  afraid  of  Jack  when  he 
was  in  this  mood.  "Of  course  not.  Jack,  my  scarf's 
blowing  away — will  you,  please 

He  adjusted  the  filmy  bit  of  chiffon  about  her  shoul- 
ders with  infinite  care,  then  turned  her  very  gently 
about  till  she  was  facing  him. 

"I'm  going  to  ask  you  something,"  he  said.  "And 
of  course,  you  needn't  answer  unless  you  want  to.  Do 
you — do  you  care  for  Joe  Bennett  ?" 

"Oh,  Jack,"  she  whispered,  raising  startled  eyes  to 
his.  "How  can  you  ask  me  that?  You — you  know 
I  don't!" 

"Know,"  he  repeated,  "how  can  I — when  you  let 
him  follow  you  around  all  day?  If  you  don't  like 
him,  it's  easy  enough  to  get  rid  of  him." 

"But,  Jack,"  she  protested,  "I  don't  dislike  him  by 
any  means.  He's  lots  of  fun  and — why  I  thought  he 
used  to  be  a  good  friend  of  yours." 


The  Dance  205 

"Used  to  be  is  right,"  he  answered,  gloomily. 

"Jack,"  she  said,  softly,  laying  an  appealing  hand 
on  his  arm.  "You — you're  not — jealous " 

"Jealous?"  he  repeated,  "who  could  help  being  jeal- 
ous when  he  has  to  play  second  fiddle  to  a  little 
fat " 

"Oh,  hush,"  she  begged,  wanting  to  laugh,  yet 
afraid  to.  "I  like  them  all,  Jack,  but — but " 

"But  what,"  he  prompted,  his  eager  eyes  intent  on 
the  girlish  figure  beside  him,  made  doubly  appealing 
in  the  soft  moonlight.  His  hand  closed  over  hers  that 
rested  on  the  railing,  and  he  leaned  closer.  "But  what, 
Lucile?"  he  repeated,  softly. 

"Oh,  so  here  you  are."  They  turned  sharply  about 
as  a  hand  drew  the  curtain  aside  and  stream  of  light 
flooded  the  balcony.  "Thought  you'd  cut  my  dance, 
did  you,  Jack,  old  boy?  Well,  you  can't  do  it — not 
so  long  as  your  Uncle  Joe  has  a  pair  of  eyes  in  his 
head.  May  I  have  the  honor,  Miss  Lucile?"  and  he 
bowed  with  exaggerated  gallantry  before  the  prettiest 
girl  he  had  ever  seen. 

The  latter  smiled  a  little  confusedly  and  Jack  tried 
his  best  to  make  his  voice  sound  natural  as  he  replied. 

"We  weren't  trying  to  cut,  Joe,"  he  said.    "We  just 


206  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

didn't  notice  the  dance  had  begun.  Where's  your 
partner?" 

"Haven't  any,"  he  answered,  unmoved  by  Jack's 
stare  of  surprise.  "Guess  you'll  have  to  sit  it  out,  old 
man — or  go  talk  to  some  of  the  chaperones.  So  long," 
and  he  whirled  Lucile  off  with  his  usual  energy,  while 
Jack  was  left  to  grind  his  teeth  mentally  and  select 
some  secluded  corner  where  he  could  be  alone  and 
think  things  over. 

Meanwhile  Joe  had  communicated  a  very  important 
piece  of  news  to  his  radiant  partner.  The  latter  al- 
most stopped  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  when  she  heard 
it — it  required  all  Joe's  skill  to  avoid  a  collision. 

"Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  she  gasped.  "But  are 
you  sure  you  saw  her?" 

"Sure,"  he  answered.  "Jack  pointed  her  out  to  me 
this  afternoon,  and  her  face  has  been  haunting  me 
eves,  since.  Not  mad,  are  you?"  he  inquired  anx- 
iously, regarding  her  downcast  eyes.  "Just  to  show 
you  I'm  sorry  I  slandered  your  dear  friend,  I'll  do 
anything  you  say.  I'll  even  swear " 

"Please  don't,"  she  begged,  smiling  up  at  him,  imp- 
ishly. "The  best  way  you  can  atone  now  is  to  take 
me  to  her  and " 


The  Dance  207 

"Oh,  lord,"  he  groaned,  "ask  me  anything  else,  but 
not  that.  Why,  I  only  have  two  dances  with  you  this 
evening " 

"You  said  you'd  do  anything "  she  reminded 

him. 

"Oh,  of  course,"  his  sigh  was  mournful  enough  to 
touch  a  heart  of  stone.  "I'll  keep  my  word — look 
here,  Lucile,  can't  we  compromise?  Wait  till  the 
dance  is  over " 

"Oh,  there  she  is  now,"  cried  Lucile,  breaking  away 
from  her  astonished  partner  and  leaving  him  to  stare 
after  her  blankly. 

When,  after  a  few  minutes  she  came  back  to  him  to 
finish  the  last  encore,  her  face  was  radiant.  "I've 
found  out  where  she  lives  and  everything,"  she  con- 
fided to  the  forgiving  Joe.  "And  I've  made  her  prom- 
ise to  meet  us  girls  near  the  cottage  to-morrow  after- 
noon. She  looked  so  deserted  and  forlorn,  sittiwg 

there  all  alone "  Suddenly  her  eyes  fell  upon  Jack 

and  Peggy  Bright.  They  were  in  animated  conversa- 
tion and  the  girl  was  looking  unusually  handsome 

"Well,  I  suppose  you're  satisfied  now,"  Joe  was 
saying,  and  she  brought  her  mind  back  to  him  with 
an  effort. 


208  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Y— Yes,"  she  stammered.  "Of  course " 

Then,  suddenly  she  felt  all  alone  in  that  room  crowded 
with  people.  She  wanted  more  than  anything  else,  to 
talk  to  someone  who  loved  her — her  guardian,  per- 
haps, or  Jessie. 

"What's  the  matter?"  Joe  was  saying,  anxiously. 
"Don't  you  feel  well?" 

"Never  felt  better  in  my  life,"  she  assured  him, 
gaily.  "Come  on,  Joe — we  can't  afford  to  miss  this !" 


CHAPTER  XIX 

A   GROWING    MYSTERY 

LUCILE  had  accomplished  the  seemingly  impossible. 
It  was  the  afternoon  after  the  dance,  and  she  and  Jes- 
sie and  Marion  were  seated  cozily  upon  the  sand, 
talking  over  the  events  of  the  night  before  with  girlish 
enthusiasm. 

"And  that  last  extra  was  wonderful,"  breathed  Jes- 
sie, her  fair  hair  flying  unheeded  about  her  face  and 
her  blue  eyes  snapping  with  the  memory.  "I  only  wish 
it  could  have  kept  up  twice  as  long." 

"You  looked  so  pretty!"  said  Marion,  looking 
with  a  sort  of  wistful  sullenness  from  Lucile  to  Jessie 
and  back  again. 

"So  did  you,"  said  Lucile,  "fibbing  like  a  soldier," 
as  Jessie  afterward  told  the  girls.  "Don't  you  dance 
at  all?"  she  added,  leaning  forward  eagerly. 

"No,"  said  the  girl,  dropping  her  eyes  to  the  hand 
that  played  restlessly  with  the  sand  "Nobody  ever 

took  the  trouble  to  teach  me." 

209 


210  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"I'll  wager  anything  you  never  let  them  think  you 
wanted  to  be  taught,"  Jessie  ventured  slyly,  and  the 
girl  looked  up  in  quick  surprise. 

"I  don't  see  how  you  know  that,"  she  almost  whis- 
pered. "You  girls  are  so  different  from  anyone  I  ever 
met  before.  You  seem  to  know  what  I'm  going  to 
think  before  I  have  time  to  think  it." 

"That's  because  we're  girls  ourselves,"  laughed  Lu- 
cile, looking  like  a  very  sweet  specimen  of  her  sex, 
indeed  in  her  short-waisted,  short-skirted  little  sea- 
green  dress.  "Only  we've  been  lucky  enough  to  grow 
up  in  a  little  town  where  everybody  knew  everybody 
else  and  where  we  felt  like  one  big  family.  There's 
an  awful  lot  in  surroundings,  anyway." 

"Oh,  do  you  think  so?"  The  strange  girl  leaned 
forward  eagerly,  and  Jessie  wondered  vaguely  at  the 
change  animation  could  make.  "Then  it  doesn't  all 
depend  on  the  person " 

"I  should  say  not,"  Jessie  interrupted,  beginning  to 
feel  some  of  Lucile's  interest  in  this  reserved,  super- 
sensitive,  yet,  after  all,  very  human  type  of  girl. 
"Why,  look  at  Margaret  Stillman.  Before  we  found 
out  how  miserable  she  was  we  used  to  almost  envy  her 
the  big  house  on  the  hill  and  all  the  servants  and " 


A  Growing  Mystery  211 

"Margaret  Stillman,"  the  girl  repeated.  "You 
don't  mean  Judge  Stillman's  little  girl — the  lame 
one " 

"You  know  her?"  Lucile  and  Jessie  demanded,  in 
one  breath,  while  they  stared  at  the  speaker  incredul- 
ously. 

"Why,  yes,"  said  Marion,  sharing  in  their  excite- 
ment. "Judge  Stillman  and  my  uncle  are  very  old 
friends.  He  used  to  bring  Margaret  with  him  always 
when  he  came  to  see  us.  I  haven't  seen  her  lately — 
not  in  a  year  and  more,  I  guess — although  they  told 
me  she  had  recovered  from  her  lameness " 

Then  our  girls  did  a  thing  that  would  have  been 
accepted  as  a  matter  of  course  by  their  friends  but  that 
fairly  overwhelmed  their  shy  acquaintance.  They 
hugged  her  enthusiastically,  then  dragged  her  to  her 
feet,  ignoring  her  feeble  prayer  for  mercy. 

"You've  got  to  tell  that  to  the  girls !"  Lucile  cried, 
as  they  hustled  her  along.  ''They'll  welcome  you  with 
open  arms  and  bugles.  You  know,  Margaret's  a  sort 
of  tradition  with  us,  and  anybody  who's  a  friend  of 
hers  is  a  friend  of  ours,  too.  Oh,  just  wait  till  you 
see  the  ovation  they'll  give  you " 

"But,  but,  I  don't  want  any — what  you  said " 


212  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

gasped  the  girl.  "Please — I — I — don't  want  to  meet 
anybody  else — I " 

"Oh,  you  needn't  worry  about  Marjorie  and  Eve- 
lyn," laughed  Jessie.  "If  we  can  stand  them  all  the 
time,  I  guess  you  can  put  up  with  them  for  five  min- 
utes. Really,  they're  not  as  bad  as  they  look." 

"Oh,  I  didn't  say  they  looked  bad,"  denied  the  girl, 
who,  not  being  used  to  Jessie,  took  her  remarks  far 
too  literally.  "They  seem  very,  very  nice  girls " 

"All  right,  tell  them  that — if  it  doesn't  hurt  your 
conscience,"  Jessie  advised  as  they  dashed  up  on  the 
porch,  nearly  knocking  their  guardian  out  of  the  ham- 
mock, where  she  was  peacefully  reading. 

"Oh,  oh,  please  excuse  us,"  they  gasped  together 
as  Mrs.  Wescott  put  down  her  magazine  and  smiled 
at  them  indulgently.  "We — we  didn't  see  you,"  Jes- 
sie added. 

"Quite  evidently,"  nodded  their  guardian,  adding, 
as  her  glance  fell  upon  the  stranger.  "I  don't  think 
I  have  met  this  young  lady,  girls.  Won't  you  intro- 
duce me?" 

"Oh,  dear,  we're  forgetting  our  manners  entirely 
to-day,"  sighed  Lucile,  turning  to  Marion,  who  was 
evincing  a  very  strong  desire  for  flight.  "This  is  the 


A  Growing  Mystery  213 

girl  we  told  you  about,  guardian Miss  Cathcart. 

We've  just  found  out  she  knows  Margaret." 

Mrs.  Wescott  looked  a  the  new  girl  with  interest. 
"I'm  very  glad  to  know  you,"  she  said,  as  the  latter 
came  forward  guardedly.  "My  girls  have  told  me  so 
much  about  you  that  I  scarcely  need  an  introduction — 
it  seems  as  though  we  were  old  friends  already.  So 
you  know  Margaret  Stillman ?" 

And  while  their  guardian  was  making  Marion  feel 
at  home  in  her  own  inimitable  way,  Lucile  and  Jessie 
slipped  off  to  find  the  other  two  girls.  They  had  left 
them  earlier  in  the  day,  gallantly  attacking  the  mass 
of  unanswered  correspondence,  and  had  made  the  mar- 
tyrs promise  to  join  them  when  their  task  was  accom- 
plished. And  now  there  was  no  sign  of  them  up- 
stairs or  down. 

"Humph!  I  guess  the  boys  must  have  come  along 
and  carried  them  off,"  grunted  Jessie.  "I  think  they 
might  have  kept  their  word." 

"Well,  we  don't  know  that  they  haven't  yet,"  said 
Lucile,  who  always  gave  everybody  the  benefit  of  the 
doubt.  "They  may  have  just  started  and  passed  us 
on  the  way  up  here." 

"That's  like  you,"  said  Jessie,  slipping  an  arm  about 


214  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

her  friend  as  they  left  the  room.  "Always  making  ex- 
cuses for  people.  I — I  wish  I  were  like  you,  Lucy," 
she  added,  rather  wistfully. 

Lucile  stopped  short  and  regarded  the  usually  merry 
Jessie  questioningly. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  Phil?"  she  demanded, 
divining  the  true  cause  of  her  friend's  depression. 
"Here,  I  thought  you  two  had  patched  things  up  so 
beautifully,  and  before  I  know  it  you're  at  swords' 
points  again,  worse  than  ever." 

"We  never  patched  things  up,"  Jessie  denied,  her 
color  mounting  higher  and  higher.  "Things  have  been 
horrible " 

"But  it  can't  be  all  Phil's  fault,"  Lucile  reasoned. 
"Why,  all  the  time  he's  been  going  around  as  if  he'd 
lost  his  last  friend  you've  been  having  the  time  of 
your  life  with  that  cross-eyed " 

"Oh,  he  isn't,"  Jessie  denied;  then,  at  Lucile's  ex- 
pression she  began  to  laugh  hysterically.  "Well,  may- 
be he  is — b — but  you  needn't  rub  it  in " 

"I  dijln't  mean  to,"  Lucile  hastily  retracted,  laugh- 
ing in  spite  of  herself  at  Jessie's  latest  admirer.  "I'd 
call  him  an  Apollo,  dear,  if  it  would  make  you  feel  any 
better,  only  it  wouldn't.  Phil's  as  jealous  as " 

"Well,  I  hope  he  enjoys  it,"  said  Jessie,  spitefully. 


A  Growing  Mystery  215 

"To  change  the  subject,  I  wonder  if  your  bird  has 
flown  yet " 

But  the  bird  had  not  flown — instead,  she  seemed 
more  than  contented  in  their  guardian's  society,  and 
in  her  eyes  was  a  new  eagerness  they  were  at  a  loss 
to  interpret. 

"Come,  sit  down  here,  girls,"  Mrs.  Wescott  de- 
manded in  her  sweet  voice.  "I  have  something  very 
interesting  to  tell  you." 

When  their  guardian  spoke  in  that  tone  the  girls 
immediately  forgot  everything  else  and  settled  down 
for  a  good  story. 

"Do  you  remember,"  she  began  "about  the  little  tale 
our  Margaret  told  us  a  long  time  ago  about  the  young 
girl  who  lived  all  alone  with  her  uncle " 

"And  we  were  wishing  she  lived  in  Burleigh,"  Lu- 
cile  supplemented  eagerly,  meeting  Jessie's  hand  half- 
way in  an  ecstatic  squeeze.  "Oh,  guardian " 

Mrs.  Wescott  smiled  delightedly,  and  turned  to  the 
girl  who  was  gradually  forgetting  shyness  in  the 
warmth  of  their  enthusiasm.  "You  see,  they've 
guessed  it  already,"  she  said.  "All  we  have  to  do  is 
give  them  a  hint " 

Our  two  girls  got  to  their  feet  and  regarded  the 
newcomer  incredulously.  "Th — then,"  Jessie  stam- 


216  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

mered,  "then  you  are  that  girl.  What  a  small 
place " 

"The  world  is,"  Lucile  finished,  maliciously.  "Very 
original  remark,  Jessie,  very."  Then,  as  Jessie  showed 
signs  of  wrath,  she  continued  quickly.  "We're  mighty 
glad  we  met  you,  Marion.  It  was  just  like  our  guar- 
dian to  find  out  all  about  you  in  five  minutes." 

The  girl  had  been  regarding  them  wonderingly 
from  the  first,  and  now,  as  her  eyes  rested  on  Mrs. 
Wescott's  sweet  face,  quite  suddenly  they  were 
dimmed  with  tears,  and  she  turned  away  to  hide  her 
emotion. 

"I  think  you're  the  most  wonderful  people  I  ever 
met,"  she  said,  unsteadily. 

"We  like  us!"  said  Jessie,  and  saved  the  situation 
by  an  inch. 

A  sob  caught  in  Marion's  throat,  changing  to  a 
convulsive  laugh  as  she  turned  back  to  her  three  new 
friends,  whose  eyes,  like  her  own,  were  suspiciously 
moist. 

"I  don't  blame  you,"  she  said,  and  then  there  was 
sealed  their  pact  of  friendship. 

Struck  by  a  sudden  thought,  Lucile  jumped  up  and 
made  a  dash  for  the  house. 

"Whither  away?"  called  Jessie.    "I  never  saw  any- 


A  Growing  Mystery  217 

body  like  you,  Lucy.  One  minute  you're  here  and  the 
next  you're  a  mile  away.  What's  the  idea?" 

Lucile  poked  her  pretty  head  out  the  window.  "I'm 
going  to  play  some  music,"  she  announced.  "There's 
just  time  for  a  little  dance  before  dinner,  and  we're 
going  to  have  it." 

"Oh,  please,"  Marion  protested.  "My  uncle  will 
miss  me I  really  ought  to  be  getting  back." 

"Oh,  goodness,  you  just  came,"  said  Lucile,  busy 
winding  the  little  machine  that  Mr.  Wescott  had  so 
thoughtfully  sent  down  to  them.  "Besides,  we've  got 
to  celebrate  some  way,  haven't  we?" 

"Well,  you  needn't  ruin  the  record  at  that,"  Jessie 
observed,  as  an  ominous  scraping  reached  their  ears. 
"Lucy,  that  scratched  terribly." 

"Well,  I'm  not  doing  it,"  the  musician  retorted, 
choking  the  phonograph  unfeelingly  in  the  middle  of' 
a  chord  and  inserting  a  new  needle.  "Anybody'd 
think — that's  it,  needle,  scrape,  scrape — a  little  harder 
— that's  right " 

"Lucile  Payton,  if  you  don't  come  out  here  and 
stop  that  maundering,"  Jessie  threatened,  "I'll  come 
in  and  get  you.  There's  no  knowing  what  may  hap- 
pen." 

For  answer  Lucile  flung  open  the  door  and  catching 


218  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

Jessie  in  a  firm  grip,  whirled  her  off  down  the  piazza 
with  such  speed  that  the  latter  objected  vigorously. 

"See  here,  Lucy,"  she  gasped.  "I'll  do  anything 
within  reason,  but  it's  getting  late  and " 

Suddenly  Marion  uttered  a  little  exclamation  that 
made  the  girls  turn  to  her  inquiringly. 

"Oh,  I'd  almost  forgotten,"  she  said,  in  reply  to 
their  questioning.  "I  went  to  look  at  my  watch  and 
then  remembered  that  it  was  gone." 

"Stolen?"  they  gasped  in  one  breath. 

"I  guess  so,"  she  answered.  "I'm  afraid  to  tell 
Uncle.  He  gave  it  to  me,  and  he'll  be  terribly  angry 

,  oh,  what  is  the  matter  with  that  dog?"  She 

drew  back  in  afright  as  Jed,  barking  wildly,  rushed 
up  the  steps  and  then  down  again,  looking  over  his 
shoulder  at  them  appealingly. 

Mrs.  Wescott  sprang  to  her  feet  with  a  sharp  cry 
of  alarm.  "The  girls,"  she  gasped.  "Jed  never  acts 
that  way  unless  something's  wrong.  Oh,  what  has 
happened  ?" 

Terrified,  they  rushed  down  the  steps  and  stumbled 
after  the  excited  dog,  an  unknown  dread  tugging  at 
their  hearts. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE   EDGE   OF   TRAGEDY 

AFTERWARD  they  never  could  tell  just  how  that 
endless  stretch  of  sand  between  the  cottage  and  the 
scene  of  the  near-tragedy  was  covered.  They  rushed 
along  blindly  until  Mrs.  Wescott  brought  them  up 
short,  pointing  a  trembling  finger  out  to  sea. 

"Look,"  she  gasped.  "There  they  are  on  that  rock, 
and — yes,  they're  asleep — asleep !" 

The  girls  stood  still,  transfixed  with  terror  and 
amazement.  Evelyn  and  Marjorie  must  have  climbed 
the  flat  piece  of  granite  at  low  tide  and,  lazy  with  the 
heat  of  the  long  day,  had  gone  to  sleep.  Now  the 
tide  had  risen  till  they  lay  on  a  little  island  which  the 
water  was  every  minute  threatening  to  engulf.  And 
still  they  slept  on  peacefully. 

"Oh,  if  they'd  only  wake  up !"  cried  Jessie,  wringing 
her  hands  desperately.  "They'll  be  drowned — they'll 
be  drowned " 

"Of  course  they  will  if  we  don't  do  something," 
Lucile  retorted,  practically.  "The  first  thing  to  do  is 
to  get  them  awake — oh,  they  are — look!" 

As  she  spoke,  Evelyn  yawned,  rubbed  her  eyes,  and 
219 


220  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

then,  seeming  for  the  first  time  aware  of  her  wet 
clothing  and  the  frantic  shouting  on  shore,  sat  up 
and  looked  about  her.  The  next  moment  she  almost 
slipped  off  the  small  island  of  safety  in  the  surprise 
and  shock  of  realization.  She  roused  Marjorie,  and 
the  two  looked  toward  the  shore  in  a  frantic  appeal 
to  their  friends.  The  long  combers  were  dashing  up 
spray  on  either  side  of  the  rock  and  the  girls  were 
drenched  through. 

What  were  they  to  do?  If  they  attempted  to  slide 
off  the  rock  and  swim  to  shore  there  was  danger  of 
being  dashed  upon  the  rocks.  Besides,  at  this  point 
there  was  a  very  strong  undertow,  and  with  their 
clinging  skirts  to  hinder  them — oh,  it  was  impossible ! 
Yet  the  water,  itself,  fast  creeping  up  over  the  rock 
would  leave  them  no  choice ! 

The  watchers  on  shore  realized  all  this  as  poign- 
antly as  did  the  girls,  and  Lucile,  with  Jessie  and 
Marion,  had  rushed  up  toward  the  road  in  the  des- 
perate hope  of  finding  help.  A  moment  later,  as  luck 
would  have  it,  they  almost  ran  into  the  boys  as  they 
descended  from  the  machine. 

"Wh — what's  up?"  gasped  Phil,  drawing  back  in 
dismay.  "You  look  like — ghosts." 


The  Edge  of  Tragedy  221 

"Oh,  please  don't  talk,"  begged  Lucile,  starting  on 
a  dead  run  back  the  way  they  had  come.  "You've  got 
to  help  us — oh,  you've  got  to  help  us !" 

By  this  time  the  boys  were  really  worried.  It  was 
plain  to  see  that  something  unusual  and  disastrous 
had  happened.  They  covered  the  distance  down  to 
the  beach  in  about  five  seconds  and,  surrounding  the 
distracted  little  guardian,  demanded  an  explanation. 

But  before  she  could  answer,  Jack  cried  out,  ex- 
plosively. "By  all  that's — look  there,  fellows!  I 
guess  we  don't  need  to  be  told  anything,"  and  he 
began  stripping  off  his  coat  and  unlacing  his  shoes, 
while  Phil  and  Jim  followed  his  example. 

A  moment  later  they  had  waded  out  and  begun  to 
breast  the  heavy  surf  toward  the  two  girls,  who  were 
clinging  desperately  to  the  slippery  rock.  On  shore 
the  girls  and  Mrs.  Wescott  watched  their  progress 
silently,  their  nerves  taut  with  alternate  hope  and  fear. 

At  last  they  had  reached  the  rock,  and  Jack  shouted 
a  direction  to  Marjorie,  which  she  was  quick  to  obey. 
She  slid  off  into  the  water  and  held  out  a  hand  to 
him.  With  a  quick  movement  he  pulled  her  toward 
him  and,  still  following  his  directions,  she  placed  a 
hand  on  his  shoulder,  another  on  Phil's,  and  they 


222  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

began  the  slow  progress  back  to  shore.  Jim  and  Ray 
repeated  the  process  with  Evelyn,  and  Lucile  uttered 
a  gasp  of  relief. 

"Now,  they'll  be  all  right " 

"But  the  current,"  groaned  Jessie.  "You  know 
how  hard  it  is  to  swim  against  it  alone,  and  with  the 
extra  weight " 

"Don't!"  cried  Lucile,  clapping  her  hands  to  her 

ears.  "They've  got  to  make  it — they've  got  to " 

her  voice  died  off  as  Marion  cried  out  in  terror. 

"Look!  they  seem  to  be  going  back,"  she  said. 
"Oh,  they'll  never  do  it,  never " 

But  Mrs.  Wescott's  voice  broke  in  upon  her  ex- 
clamations, calm  and  reassuring.  "That's  nonsense," 
she  said.  "The  boys  are  very  strong  swimmers — 
see,  they're  gaining;  now " 

The  girls  strained  eager  eyes  toward  the  little  strug- 
gling dots  in  the  water  and  saw  that  they  were  indeed 
gaining,  but  so  slowly — so  very  slowly  that  an  involun- 
tary moan  was  wrenched  from  Jessie's  dry  throat, 
and  she  gripped  Lucile's  hand  tighter  than  before. 

Then  the  incredible  happened.  The  giant  grip  of 
the  current  seemed  suddenly  to  have  loosened  its  hold 
— the  struggling  dots  were  caught  high  on  the  crest 


The  Edge  of  Tragedy  223 

of  an  incoming  wave  and  tossed  stuttering  and  chok- 
ing into  the  shallow  water. 

With  a  glad  cry  Mrs.  Wescott  and  the  girls  ran 
forward,  while  rescuers  and  rescued  got  to  their  feet 
and  staggered  in  toward  shore.  Lucile  and  Jessie 
were  crying  openly  as  they  hugged  their  comrades, 
regardless  of  wet  clothing,  and  then  passed  them  on 
to  their  guardian. 

The  boys  would  have  accompanied  the  little  party 
to  their  cottage,  but  Mrs.  Wescott  objected  vehe- 
mently on  the  ground  that,  even  in  August,  sodden 
clothes  are  neither  healthful  nor  pleasant,  and  insisted 
that  they  get  some  dry  things  on  at  once.  This,  after 
being  plentifully  showered  with  thanks  and  April 
smiles  from  the  girls,  they  finally  decided  to  do,  and 
started  off  toward  the  machine  while  the  girls  and 
their  guardian  made  for  the  cottage  without  delay. 
At  the  door  Marion  left  them,  and  no  amount  of 
urging  could  have  induced  her  to  go  in.  However, 
before  she  went  she  made  a  tentative  suggestion,  and 
one  that  hugely  delighted  Lucile. 

"I  may  come  around  to-morrow,"  she  said,  "and 
see  how  your  friends  are." 

Half  an  hour  later,  with  the  runaways  safely  en- 


224  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

sconced  in  the  snowy  bed  and  a  most  tempting  repast 
spread  out  before  them  by  the  solicitous  girls,  Evelyn 
heaved  a  huge  sigh,  half  of  regret  and  half  of  content. 

"I  could  be  completely  happy,"  she  said,  "if  it 
weren't  for  one  thing." 

"What  is  it?"  they  asked  anxiously. 

"My  dress,"  she  wailed.  "It  was  the  very  apple 
of  my  eye." 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE  CRAB'S  PART 

LUCILE  had  received  a  letter,  and  from  the  jubilant 
way  in  which  she  read  its  contents  to  her  guardian, 
one  might  surmise  that  it  was  an  extremely  welcome 
one. 

"Well,  why  don't  you  ask  her  to  come  down  here 
for  a  week  or  two?"  said  Mrs.  Wescott  when  the 
epistle  had  come  to  an  end.  "All  the  girls  will  be 
glad  to  see  her,  and  then  she  can  meet  her  friend  and 
your  'protege.' ' 

Lucile  hugged  her  guardian  gratefully.  "That's 
just  exactly  what  I  wanted  to  propose,"  she  said. 
"Only,  I  thought  you  were  having  enough  trouble 
with  us  without  adding  an  extra  one.  I  tell  you,"  she 
added,  with  sudden  inspiration,  "we  won't  breathe  a 
word  of  it  to  anyone — just  keep  it  a  deep,  dark  se- 
cret!" 

Mrs.  Wescott  pinched  the  rosy  cheek  fondly.  "Just 
as  you  say,  dear,"  she  agreed.  "I  imagine  we'll  give 

the  girls  the  time  of  their  lives." 

225 


226  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

Lucile  gave  her  another  kiss,  and  then  made  one  of 
her  characteristic  dashes  toward  the  door.  "You're 
a  darling!"  she  flung  over  her  shoulder.  "And  I'll 
have  to  rush  that  letter  through  before  Jessie  and  the 
boys  catch  me  at  it." 

Once  downstairs  she  scribbled  off  the  letter,  ad- 
dressed the  envelope  and  had  just  time  to  secrete  it 
in  her  own  particular  drawer  in  the  desk  when  the 
sound  of  laughter  was  heard  just  outside  the  door. 
A  moment  later  Jessie,  Phil  and  Jack  were  looking 
down  upon  her  with  command  in  their  eyes. 

"Finished?"  Jessie  queried,  adding,  in  the  same 
breath,  "it  doesn't  make  much  difference  whether  you 
are  or  not.  Time's  up,  young  lady,  and  you've  got  to 
come." 

"Oh,  I  have,  have  I?"  said  Lucile,  making  an  im- 
pudent little  face  at  them.  "Well,  I'm  coming,  but 
just  for  the  simple  reason  that  I'm  all  through  letter- 
writing  and  can't  for  the  life  of  me  think  of  another 
thing  to  do." 

"Did  somebody  die  and  leave  you  something?" 
asked  Jessie  anxiously.  "You  never  acted  so  super- 
cillious  before." 

"Goodness,  if  that's  what  being  rich  does,"  said  Lu- 


The  Crab's  Part  227 

cile,  laughing  at  Jessie's  big  word,  "I  want  to  be 
poor." 

"Well,  you'll  probably  never  have  the  chance  to  be 
anything  else,"  said  her  brother,  ungraciously.  "What 
I  want  to  know  just  now  is,  who's  going  for  a  swim?" 

The  word  acted  like  a  charm.  In  less  than  two 
seconds  Lucile  and  Jessie  were  half  way  up  the  stairs. 
"Don't  wait  for  us  if  you  don't  want  to,"  Lucile 
called  down  to  them.  "We'll  meet  you  on  the  beach." 

"Not  on  your  life!"  said  Jack,  decidedly.  "We 
wait  here,"  and  there  was  a  sound  of  suppressed  gig- 
gling from  the  upper  regions. 

A  few  moments  later  the  girls  rejoined  them,  very 
alluring  indeed  in  their  pretty  bathing  suits  and  rakish 
caps,  and  they  set  off  gaily.  It  was  hot  enough  to 
make  a  dip  in  the  cool  water  especially  appealing,  and 
the  young  folks  ran  forward  eagerly. 

"Well,  if  here  isn't  the  old  hero!"  cried  Phil  sud- 
denly, and  they  turned  to  find  Jed  pegging  away  with 
all  his  might  behind  them.  "You're  some  good  old 
sport,  Jeddie — I  have  to  hand  it  to  you." 

He  was  received  with  open  arms  by  the  girls,  who 
fairly  worshipped  him  for  the  important  part  he  had 
played  in  the  rescue  of  the  sleeping  beauties  a  few 


228  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

days  before.  It  would  be  well  to  add  that,  since  their 
involuntary  immersion  Marjorie  and  Evelyn  had 
absolutely  refused  to  go  anywhere  near  the  water, 
and  that  Jim  and  Ray  were  bankrupting  their 
resources  in  the  effort  to  keep  them  amused  on 
shore. 

On  this  particular  afternoon,  Lucile,  Jessie  and  the 
two  boys  had  struck,  very  much  preferring  a  swim  in 
the  briny  to  a  dusty  promenade  along  the  board  walk. 
Jim  and  Ray  had  cast  longing  glances  after  the  rebel- 
ous  ones — much  to  Jessie's  secret  delight — but  had 
remained  faithful  to  their  goddesses. 

So  it  was  that  the  "escaping  quartette,"  as  the  four 
had  named  themselves,  was  on  the  point  of  enjoying 
itself  immensely.  As  Lucile  stooped  over  to  give  Jed 
a  final  pat  she  noticed  how  absently  Jessie  replied  to  a 
question  Phil  put  to  her,  and  she  boiled  inwardly. 
"That  silly  quarrel  is  still  on,"  she  thought,  as  Jack 
took  the  dog  in  one  arm  and  propelled  her  down  the 
beach  with  the  other.  "And  Jessie's  as  mum  as  a 
clam  about  it." 

She  had  no  further  time  to  think,  for  Jack  dropped 
the  dog,  sent  him  splashing  into  the  water  after  a 


The  Crab's  Part  229 

stick,  and,  catching  her  hand,  rushed  her  into  the  surf 
at  a  speed  that  almost  took  her  breath  away.  Then 
together  they  dived  under  a  long  comber  and  came  up 
on  the  other  side,  shook  the  water  out  of  their  eyes 
and  struck  out  happily.  This  was  what  they  had 
longed  for  since  the  incident  which  had  turned  Evelyn 
and  Marjorie  against  the  greatest  sport  in  the  world — 
or,  at  least,  so  they  thought  of  it. 

Jack  taught  Lucile  a  number  of  new  strokes  which 
she  took  up  very  quickly,  and  in  their  preoccupation 
they  lost  sight  of  the  other  two.  When  at  last  they 
swam  in  toward  shore  to  see  where  they  had  dis- 
appeared to,  they  suddenly  and  quite  accidentally  came 
upon  a  most  amusing  tableau. 

Jessie  had  evidently  tried  to  wade  to  shore,  when 
her  passage  was  blocked  by  a  murderous-looking  old 
crab.  She  had  called  frantically  to  Phil,  and  he  had 
come  splashing  up  belligerently,  determined  to  put 
a  swift  end  to  whatever  was  frightening  her. 

However,  seeing  no  shark  or  man-eating  alligator, 
he  glanced  at  her  questioningly,  till  she  impatiently 
indicated  the  ancient  shellfish. 

"Can't  you  see?"  she  cried,  desperately.     "It's  a 


230  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

horrid  old  crab,  and  it's  after  me.  Look,  when  I 
move  he  moves  with  me."  And  to  prove  her  conten- 
tion she  tentatively  moved  a  step  or  two  sideways 
and  the  creature  moved  also,  in  the  peculiar  motion  of 
the  species. 

Jessie  looked  appealing  to  Phil,  but  that  unsym- 
pathetic person  burst  suddenly  into  a  loud  roar  of 
laughter.  "Here,  crabbie,  crabbie !"  he  called.  "Come 
bite  your  uncle's  toe.  He's  a  gentleman  crab,"  he 
confided  to  Jessie,  his  eyes  twinkling.  "Iv'e  met  him 
before,  and  he  absolutely  refuses  to  bite  ladies.  Why, 
even  if  you  asked  him  to " 

"Philip  Payton,"  cried  Jessie,  quivering  with  indig- 
nation, "if  you  don't  call  off  that  crab  this  in- 
stant  " 

Phil  whistled  soberly,  and  behind  the  rock  Jack  put 
his  hand  over  Lucile's  mouth  to  keep  her  from  gig- 
gling out  loud. 

"See,  he  won't  mind  me,"  Phil  was  saying,  plaint-' 
ively  when  Jessie,  made  rash  by  anger,  started  to  cir- 
cle the  obstacle,  only  to  start  back  with  a  cry  of  alarm, 
as  it  made  an  ungainly  movement  toward  her  stock- 
inged foot. 

"Oh,  oh,  oh!"  she  screamed,   "what  will   I   do? 


The  Crab's  Part  231 

Please,  please,  Phil,  get  it  away.  I'm  afraid  to  move 
—I " 

"Now,  see  here,  young  lady,"  Phil's  tone  was  se- 
vere, though  his  eyes  still  twinkled  with  fun.  "You've 
got  to  choose  once  for  all  between  me  and  the  crab. 
You've  got  to  stop  treating  me  like  the  dust  under 
your  shapely  foot " 

"Oh,  Phil,  please !"  she  interrupted,  holding  out  her 
arms  appealingly. 

"I  haven't  finished,"  he  went  on,  unmoved.  "As  I 
was  saying,  you  will  have  to  put  an  end  to  this  unjust 
and  heathenish  conduct  and  hereafter  accept  me  as  one 
of  the  lordliest  of  the  lords  of  creation  or  I  will  here- 
with leave  you  to  your  fate  and  the  crab.  Choose — 
or  forever  after  hold  your  peace,"  and  he  stood  with 
hand  gravely  uplifted,  awaiting  her  decision. 

Jessie  giggled  hysterically.  She  had  a  wild  impulse 
to  seize  the  crab  by  one  of  his  menacing  claws  and 
hurl  him  at  her  tormentor.  Needless  to  say,  she  got 
the  better  of  the  impulse  speedily.  She  looked  about 
her  hopefully,  but  seeing  no  sign  of  Lucile  and  Jack, 
turned  back  to  Phil,  with  a  little  resigned  smile  lifting 
the  corners  of  her  mouth. 

"Oh,  all  right,"  she  assented,  after  another  shud- 


232  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

dering  glance  at  the  crab.  "I'll  do  anything  you  say 
if  you'll  only  remove  that — that — thing " 

"Is  it  a  promise  ?"  he  demanded.  "And  you'll  keep 
it,  when,  by  my  heroic  efforts,  yon  crab  has  disap- 
peared ?" 

"Oh,  yes,  yes,"  she  cried  impatiently.  "I'll  do  any- 
thing, I  tell  you.  Only  hurry — please — oh,  look — he's 
creeping  up — Phil " 

The  last  pathetic  wail  seemed  to  touch  Phil's  stony 
heart  and,  stooping,  he  picked  up  a  narrow  piece  of 
driftwood  with  a  sharp  end.  This  he  held  coaxingly 
toward  the  assassin. 

"Come,  pretty  crabbie,"  he  wheedled.  "Show  your 
sweet  little,  gentle  little  disposition.  Just  grab  hold 
of  this  stick  that's  the  idea — easy,  now — easy,"  and 
with  the  crab  clinging  viciously  to  the  bait,  he  lifted  it 
suddenly  and  flung  it,  stick  and  all,  over  the  barrier 
of  rocks  and  into  the  deeper  water  beyond. 

"Some  bull-dog  grip  that  old  codger  has,  eh?"  said 
Phil,  as  Jessie  waded  ashore  and  dropped  with  a  sigh 
of  relief  upon  the  sand.  "Those  claws  of  his  could 
meet  right  through  your  hand." 

Jessie  shuddered  and  turned  away.    Phil  noted  the 


The  Crab's  Part  233 

action  and  smiled  a  little  to  himself.  Then  his  face 
sobered  and  he  reached  for  the  little  wet,  sand-covered 
hand.  "Are  you  going  to  keep  that  promise?"  he  de- 
manded, leaning  forward  to  look  into  her  face. 

Jessie  flushed  and  studied  with  amazing  preoccupa- 
tion a  daring  lady-bug  that  had  crawled  upon  her 
skirt.  Phil  decided  it  was  a  very  good  sign — as  a 
rule  Jessie  looked  him  squarely  in  the  face. 

"Are  you?"  he  repeated. 

"I — it — wasn't  fair,"  she  stammered,  at  last. 

"Maybe  it  wasn't,"  he  agreed.  "But  then,  you 
haven't  been  altogether  fair  to  me  lately,  have  you, 
Jessie?  I — I  don't  know  what  I've  done  except  to 
think  of  you  all  the  time — to  want  to  be  with  you 
every  minute " 

"Oh,  please,"  she  begged,  trying  to  draw  her  hand 
away. 

"Perhaps  I've  taken  the  wrong  track  altogether," 
he  mused.  "Perhaps  you'd  think  more  of  if  I  played 
trailer  to  somebody  else — little  Josie  Conklin,  for  in- 
stance. 

"Don't  you  dare,"  she  blazed,  then  flushed  scarlet 
as  she  met  his  look  of  triumph. 


234  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Then  you  do  care  a  little  bit,"  he  cried.  "You 
would  miss  me  if  I  didn't  trail  around  worshiping 
from  afar " 

"Oh,  I — I'd  miss  you  like  anything!"  she  mur- 
mured, and  behind  the  barrier  of  rock  and  stone  where 
they  had  unconsciously  played  the  eavesdropper,  Jack 
and  Lucile  did  an  impromptu  crab  one-step  in  honor 
of  the  occasion. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

CONSPIRATORS 

A  CAUTIOUS  head  looked  into  the  living  room  where 
Lucile  was  seated  alone. 

"Has  everybody  gone?"  it's  owner  inquired  cau- 
tiously and,  upon  receiving  a  reassuring  reply,  slipped 
into  the  room  softly  and  closed  the  door. 

In  Tanike  events  had  been  treading  upon  one  an- 
other's heels  with  such  astonishing  rapidity  for  the 
last  week  that  the  girls  had  hard  work  keeping  up 
with  them. 

In  the  first  place,  the  detectives  had  at  last  found  a 
reliable  clue,  or  so  they  thought,  to  the  daring  authors 
of  the  robberies  and  were  even  now  hard  on  their 
trail.  The  thefts  had  become  more  and  more  numer- 
ous of  late  and  the  residents  of  Tanike  were  on  tip- 
toe with  excitement  and  hope  of  their  capture. 

Joe  Bennett,  too,  had  seen  beneath  Lucile' s  laugh- 
ingly gracious  acceptance  of  him,  a  subtle  annoyance 
at  his  almost  intrusive  gallantries  and  had  "accepted 

his  walking  papers,"  as  he  called  them,  with  his  cus- 

235 


236  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

ternary  good  nature.  And  no  one,  enjoying  his  ready 
wit  and  quick  sallies,  could  have  guessed  that  deep 
down  under  all  the  fun  was  a  strange  new  hurt  that 
even  he  himself  would  scarcely  acknowledge.  He  had 
liked  Lucile,  liked  her  more  than  any  girl  he  had  ever 
met  but,  well,  Jack  was  a  good  sight  better  looking 
than  he  was,  he  decided  generously,  and  it  was  up  to 
little  Joe  Bennett  to  take  his  medicine.  This  he  did 
with  a  grace  that  did  him  credit. 

And  Jack,  though  still  uneasy  at  Lucile' s  amazing 
popularity  at  the  innumerable  dances,  straw  rides, 
marshmallow  bakes  and  the  like  which  they  attended, 
still  felt  immensely  relieved  at  Joe's  belated  good 
sense. 

And  now  Marion,  whom  Lucile  had  been  secretly 
coaching  in  the  art  of  wearing  her  clothes  well,  ar- 
ranging her  hair  prettily,  dancing,  etc.,  was  standing 
before  her  with  the  air  of  one  about  to  impart  the 
most  astounding  news.  Her  face  was  pale  with  emo- 
tion, and  when  Lucile  put  an  arm  about  her  waist  and 
drew  her  down  to  the  seat  beside  her,  she  felt  that  the 
girl  was  trembling. 

"Why,  Marion,"  she  cried,  in  concern,  "don't  you 
feel  well,  dear — shall  I  get  you  some  water " 


Conspirators  237 

"Oh,  no,  I'll  be  all  right  in  a  minute,"  gasped  the 
girl.  "Only  I  saw — oh,  Lucile,  you'll  never  believe 
me,  but  I  did  see  him — I  did " 

Lucile' s  dark  eyes  grew  black  with  the  thought  that 
suddenly  leaped  to  her  mind,  but  she  put  it  aside 
relentlessly. 

"Who  was  it  you  saw?"  she  questioned,  trying  to 
keep  the  excitement  from  her  voice  and  stroking  the 
girl's  smooth  hair  gently.  "There,  you're  all  right 
now,  Marion— don't  tremble  so,  dear." 

But  Marion  suddenly  pulled  herself  upright  and 
looked  at  Lucile  pleadingly.  "I  suppse  you'll  think 
I'm  crazy,"  she  began,  "and  I  don't  know  as  I'd 
blame  you — in  fact,  I'm  not  sure  but  what  I  am  my- 
self. Lucile,  I  saw  my  brother!" 

Lucile  jumped  from  the  chair  as  though  she  had 
been  shot.  "Are  you  sure  ?"  she  cried.  "Oh,  Marion, 
be  careful — it  might  just  have  been  imagination,  you 
know." 

X 

"That's  what  I  thought  at  first,"  cried  the  girl.  Her 
face  was  buried  in  her  hand  and  two  pathetic  little 
tears  trickled  through  her  fingers.  Lucile  was  on  her 
knees  in  an  instant,  pressing  her  own  little  perfumed 
handkerchief  into  Marion's  fingers,  and  held  her  close 


238  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

in  a  warm  girlish  embrace  that  went  straight  to  the 
friendless  girl's  heart. 

After  a  moment  the  sobs  grew  less  and  Marion 
raised  her  tear-stained  face  to  look  gratefully  at 
Lucile. 

"Please  don't  think  it  was  imagination,"  she  began, 
dabbing  her  eyes  with  the  apology  of  a  handkerchief, 
while  Lucile  wisely  let  her  do  the  talking.  "When 
anyone  has  just  thought  of  one  person  for  years,  and 
has  studied  his  picture  till  she  knows  it  by  heart,  she 
isn't  very  likely  to  make  a  mistake  when  she  sees  the 
owner — now  is  she?'' 

"No,"  said  Lucile,  decidedly,  "I  should  say  not, 
unless,"  she  added  thoughtfully,  "not  unless  the  origi- 
nal has  changed  a  good  deal — then  she  might.  Please 
don't  think  I  want  to  discourage  you,  dear,"  she  said 
quickly,  as  Marion  shot  her  a  wondering  glance. 
"That's  the  one  thing  I  don't  want  to  do.  Only  I 
don't  want  you  to  take  the  chance  of  being  terribly 
disappointed." 

"Oh,  but  I'm  sure  of  it — I  couldn't  be  mistaken," 
Marion  repeated,  her  face  glowing  with  a  feverish  ex- 
citement now.  "Why,  he  passed  right  in  front  of  me ; 
I  could  almost  have  touched  him,  he  was  so  close " 


Conspirators  239 

And  he  didn't  see  you?"  questioned  Lucile,  believ- 
ing, almost  in  spite  of  herself.  "Are  you  sure  of 
that?" 

"Oh,  quite  sure,"  Marion  replied,  unhesitatingly; 
adding,  loyally,  "If  he  had  he  would  have  taken  me 
in  his  arms  and  never,  never  let  me  go  again.  Oh, 
I  wanted  to  call  out  to  him,  but  I  was  so  dazed  that 
I  lost  sight  of  him  before  I  could  pull  myself  together. 
And  now  he's  gone  again " 

"There,  there!"  Lucile  soothed  her.  "Don't  you 
worry.  If  that  brother  of  yours  is  anywhere  in  Tan- 
ike,  we'll  find  him;  be  sure  of  that." 

"Oh,  if  I  only  could,"  cried  Marion,  and  even  in 
the  excitement  of  that  moment  Lucile  thought  tri- 
umphantly that  she  looked  almost  pretty.  "If  I  only 
could,  I'd  never  ask  another  thing  in  the  world." 

"Listen  to  me,  Marion,"  said  Lucile,  assuming  an 
elocutionary  attitude  and  regarding  her  protege  se- 
verely. "Have  I  ever  before  broken  my  word  to 
you?" 

"Oh,  never,"  cried  Marion,  looking  up  adoringly 
at  the  "prettiest  girl  in  the  world." 

"Well,  then,"  she  continued.  "I  hereby  formally 
promise  that  if  your  brother  be  anywhere  in  Tanike, 


240  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

we  won't  rest  day  or  night  till  we've  found  him. 
And  we'll  do  it,  too!" 

Marion  sprang  up  and  threw  her  arms  about  Lucile 
in  the  first  impulsive  gesture  she  had  ever  made.  Her 
face  was  radiant,  but  the  happy  tears  streamed  down 
her  face  unchecked. 

"Oh,  Lucie,  I  love  you,  I  love  you,"  she  cried,  while 
Lucile  hugged  her  hard  and  brushed  away  her  own 
tears  vigorously. 

Then  suddenly  her  eyes  happening  to  fall  on  the 
clock,  she  gave  a  start  that  caused  Marion  to  look  up 
in  surprise. 

"Marion,"  she  cried,  dismayed,  "we'll  never  reach 
that  train.  We  forgot  all  about  meeting  Margaret, 
and  now  it's  too  late,  unless  we  hurry  like  anything," 
she  added,  making  a  rush  for  the  stairs.  "Come  on 
up  and  bathe  your  eyes — then  we'll  make  a  try  for 
it." 

In  less  than  four  minutes  the  girls  were  speeding  up 
the  road,  hand  in  hand,  striving  to  outrace  the  in- 
coming train. 

"Where's  Mrs.  Wescott,"  Marion  managed  to  gasp 
when  they  had  covered  about  half  the  distance.  "I 
was  so  excited  I  forgot  to  ask." 


Conspirators  241 

"She  went  on  ahead,"  Lucile  replied,  "and  I  stayed 
to  wait  for  you.  "She'll  be  there  anyway,  thank 
goodness." 

For  the  rest  of  the  way  not  a  word  passed  between 
them,  for  they  were  using  all  their  breath  to  lend 
wings  to  their  feet.  Their  exertion  was  rewarded, 
however,  for  as  they  reached  the  platform,  red  and 
panting,  Mrs.  Wescott  strolled  toward  them  looking 
deliciously  cool  in  her  soft,  white  dress  and  laughingly 
inquiring  why  they  had  chosen  a  scorching  day  like 
this  to  run  a  Marathon. 

"Why,  you  look  half  dead,"  she  commented.  "Come 
over  here  in  the  shade  and  rest  up." 

Nothing  loth,  the  girls  followed  her,  apd  as  soon 
as  Lucile  could  catch  her  breath,  she  panted  an  ex- 
planation. Her  guardian  listened  with  more  than 
usual  interest  and  was  just  questioning  Marion  closely 
when  a  loud  whistle  warned  them  that  the  train  was 
near,  and  for  the  moment  scattered  all  other  consider- 
ations to  the  wind. 

The  great  lumbering  locomotive  drew  in  at  the  sta- 
tion, and  they  began  to  watch  the  descending  passen- 
gers hopefully.  Then,  with  a  joyful  exclamation, 
they  ran  forward  to  greet  little  Margaret  Stillman. 


242  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

She  ran  down  the  platform  like  any  other  girl,  both 
hands  outstretched  and  the  roses  flaming  in  her 
cheeks.  She  seemed  altogether  a  very  dainty,  very 
lovely  little  person,  and  the  bear  hugs  to  which  she 
joyfully  submitted  seemed  likely  to  break  her  in  two. 
However,  nothing  disastrous  happened,  besides  the 
disarrangement  of  her  dainty  straw  hat  which  she 
minded  not  a  bit,  and  after  some  more  joyful  demon- 
strations, she  was  half  led,  half  carried  to  the  big 
machine  that  had  just  drawn  up  to  the  curb. 

The  driver  of  the  big  machine  was  Jack.  He  had 
managed  to  slip  away  without  attracting  any  undue 
notice,  and  now  was  ready  to  chauffeur  the  little  party 
back  to  the  cottage.  He  was  properly  introduced  to 
Margaret,  who  acknowledged  the  introduction  very 
prettily,  then  snuggled  up  close  to  her  guardian  and 
Lucile,  at  the  same  time  smiling  across  at  Marion. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  awfully  glad  to  see  you  all,"  she  mur- 
mured. "And  to  think  you  should  find  Marion,  Lucy 
dear.  Oh,  well,  I've  stopped  being  surprised  at  any 
wonderful  thing  you  and  our  guardian  should  do." 

Jack  whisked  them  home  in  short  order,  and  then 
started  back  for  the  rest  of  the  party,  who  had  been 
skillfully  lured  off  to  one  of  the  many  attractions 


Conspirators  243 

found  along  the  board-walk  at  Tanike.  Lucile  had 
pleaded  a  headache  and  her  distress  had  seemed  so 
real  that  Jessie  had  offered  to  stay  home  with  her. 
However,  this  being  just  what  the  conspirators  wanted 
least,  Mrs.  Wescott  had  declared  herself  perfectly 
capable  of  taking  care  of  the  patient,  and  Jessie  had 
finally  consented  to  go,  albeit  very  reluctantly. 

And  now,  after  a  refreshing  seance  in  the  big  front 
room  of  the  cottage,  the  three  girls  and  Mrs.  Wescott 
had  seated  themselves  in  the  living  room,  impatiently 
awaiting  the  return  of  the  unsuspecting  young  folks. 

Lucile  stopped  herself  in  the  middle  of  a  suppressed 
chuckle  to  whisper.  "They're  coming — not  a  sound !" 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

MIRTH    AND   MARGARET 

"WONDER  why  they're  all  in  the  dark,"  they  heard 
Jessie  say.  "I  do  hope  Lucy  isn't  any  worse.  Oh, 
how  I  hate  that  old  cat." 

In  the  semi-dusk  Lucile  started  and  threw  Mrs. 
Wescott  a  startled  glance.  Could  Jessie  be  calling  her 
— that? 

"I  wouldn't  if  I  were  you,"  Phil  laughed,  opening 
the  door  which  had  been  purposely  left  unfastened. 
"She's  old  and  homely,  and  you  can't  exactly  blame 
her  if  she  likes  to  pick  on  the  pretty  girls — hello — 
what's  this?"  His  quick  eye  had  caught  sight  of  the 
dim  shapes  in  the  living  room,  and  in  a  moment  more 
the  darkness  gave  way  to  a  flood  of  light.  The  young 
folks  crowded  in  behind  him,  blinking  like  owls  in 
the  glare. 

Then,  with  a  cry,  Evelyn  pushed  past  them  all  and 
literally  flung  herself  upon  Margaret. 

"Margaret,"  she  screamed,  "little  Margaret  Still- 
man — and  we  never  had  an  idea  you  were  within  a 

thousand  miles  of  us.    Oh,  those  conspirators " 

244 


Mirth  and  Margaret  245 

By  this  time  Jessie  and  Marjorie  had  come  to  their 
senses,  and  were  hugging  Margaret  as  if  on  a  wager, 
while  the  boys  looked  on  in  unutterable  envy.  Only 
Jack  seemed  uninterested.  He  disengaged  himself 
from  the  rest  and  sauntered  over  to  where  Lucile  was 
sitting  in  a  very  thoughtful  mood  for  her. 

"It  worked  like  a  charm,  didn't  it?"  he  questioned, 
leaning  his  elbow  on  the  mantel  and  smiling  down  at 
her.  "The  girls  never  guessed  that  you  framed  the 
headache " 

"Jack,"  she  interrupted,  looking  up  at  him  whim- 
sically, "am  I  a — cat?" 

He  stared  a  moment,  then  laughed  amusedly.  "I've 
never  noticed  it,"  he  began,  when  a  feminine  chorus 
interruped  him. 

"Where's  Lucile?"  they  cried;  and  Jessie  added, 
"come  over  here,  Lucile  Payton  and  account  for  your- 
self. Do  you  mean  to  say  you  made  me  worry  all 
day  about  a  headache  when  you  never  had  any?" 

Lucile  nodded,  quite  unashamed,  and  Jessie  smiled 
ruefully  up  at  Margaret.  "Well,  I  know  where  the 
laugh  belongs  this  time,"  she  conceded. 

"Dinner  is  served,  madam,"  announced  the  "lady  of 
the  kitchen,"  and  Phil  was  just  about  to  sing  out  joy- 


246  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

fully  when  he  suddenly  remembered  himself  and 
paused. 

"I  forgot,"  he  murmured  with  a  conscious  air. 
"Mother  always  told  me  not  to  stay  when  dinner  was 
ready — the  people  might  think  you  wanted  an  invita- 
tion," and  he  grinned  at  them  disarmingly. 

Mrs.  Wescott  laughed  outright,  while  Jessie  re- 
garded him  with  amused  toleration.  ''You  win,  Phil," 
said  the  former.  "I  had  already  given  Jane  instruc- 
tions to  provide  for  four  extra — I  hardly  thought  the 
things  would  go  begging." 

"You  were  right,"  he  assured  her. 

After  dinner  the  young  people  and  Mrs.  Wescott 
strolled  out  to  their  favorite  resting  place  among  the 
rocks.  The  girls  gave  Margaret  a  seat  of  honor  next 
their  guardian,  and  were  so  unaffectedly  glad  to  have 
her  with  them  that  more  than  once  the  little  rich  girl's 
eyes  filled  with  tears.  How  much  she  loved  these 
dear  friends  of  hers,  especially  Lucile,  none  knew 
except  herself  and  none  ever  would. 

"Tell  us  what  you  did  to-day,"  Mrs.  Wescott  was 
asking  Evelyn.  "You  must  have  had  a  good  time  or 
you  wouldn't  have  stayed  so  late." 

Then  the  girls  launched  into  a  spirited  description 


Mirth  and  Margaret  247 

of  the  day's  happenings  while  both  Marion  and  Mar- 
garet listened  with  parted  lips. 

"And  we'd  have  had  a  perfect  time  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  one  thing,"  Jessie  finished.  "That  little  incident 
made  me  madder  than  I've  been  for  months — old 
cat!" 

"That's  what  you  said  when  you  first  came,"  Lucile 
chuckled,  "and  I  thought  you  meant  me." 

"Oh,  Lucy,"  Jessie  protested,  horror  struck,  "why 
I  wouldn't  mention  you  and  her  in  the  same  breath. 
Ugh!" 

"My,  she  must  be  a  terrible  character,"  Mrs.  Wes- 
cott  laughed.  "Let's  hear  about  her,  Jessie — and  what 
did  she  do?" 

"Do,"  Jessie  repeated  in  profound  disgust,  "she 
didn't  do  anything — she  just  talked — and  that  was 
plenty." 

"Well,  then,  what  did  she  say?"  little  Margaret  in- 
quired, smiling.  "We  ought  to  get  to  the  point  pretty 
soon." 

"Oh,  I'm  getting  there,"  Jessie  assured  her.  "Only 
I'm  so  disgusted  it's  hard  even  to  talk  about  her. 
She's  just  one  of  those  gossips,  that's  all,  that  you're 
bound  to  meet  at  a  place  like  this." 


248  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Did  she  say  anything  about  us?"  Lucile  inquired, 
with  interest.  "I'd  like  to  know  what  other  people 
think  of  us — you  can  always  find  out  from  a  gossip." 

"Yes,  and  a  good  deal  more  than  you  want  to, 
sometimes.  She  cornered  me  while  I  was  waiting  for 
Phil  to  buy  a  box  of  candy,  and  I  heard  more  slander 
in  that  five  minutes  than  I've  heard  in  all  the  rest  of 
my  life  put  together.  She  told  me,  as  a  good  friend — 
you  know  the  kind " 

"Yes,  she  thought  you  ought  to  know  what  people 
are  saying  about  you,"  Marjorie  murmured. 

"Exactly.  Well,  she  told  me  what  a  supposed — 
note  the  supposed — friend  of  ours  has  been  saying 
about  us — nice,  sweet,  gentle  little  things  that  make 
me  want  to  pull  her  hair,"  and  Jessie  looked  so  fero- 
cious that  Phil  moved  back  a  foot  or  two. 

"But  who  is  the  lady?"  Jack  inquired.  "Do  we 
know  her?" 

"I  should  say  you  do,"  she  answered  vehemently. 
"You  introduced  her  to  us,  Jack." 

"Well,  I've  introduced  you  to  a  lot  of  people,"  he 
countered,  "so  that  doesn't  tell  me  anything." 

"Well,  and  I'm  not  going  to  tell  you  any  more. 
If  other  people  want  to  be  mean,  it's  no  reason  why 


Mirth  and  Margaret  249 

we  should  be,  I  suppose.  Only  if  she  ever  says  any- 
thing about  Lucile,  I'll " 

"About  Lucile,"  shouted  Jack  and  Phil  in  the  same 
breath,  while  Jack  demanded,  "what  did  she  say  about 
Lucile?" 

"Oh,  n — nothing  much,"  stammered  Jessie,  who,  in 
her  righteous  indignation  had  gone  a  good  deal  far- 
ther than  she  intended.  "No  more  than  she  said  about 
all  the  rest  of  us." 

"Well,  the  only  thing  to  do  in  such  situations,"  said 
Mrs.  Wescott,  quietly,  "is  absolutely  to  ignore  the 
wretched  gossips.  We  know  if  they  tell  the  truth 
about  us,  they  can't  say  anything  we  wouldn't  want 
everybody  to  hear,  and  if  they  don't — well,  we  can't 
help  that,  and  we  musn't  worry  about  it,  that's  all." 

"I  know,"  said  Jessie,  snuggling  against  her  guar- 
dian's knee.  "You're  right,  of  course— -but  it's  pretty 
hard  to  do  the  right  thing  sometimes." 

"Of  course  it  is,  but  that  gives  us  all  the  more  credit 
for  doing  it,"  said  the  little  guardian,  gaily.  "To 
change  the  subject,  are  the  detectives  any  nearer  to 
finding  the  thieves  than  they  were?  I  thought  from 
all  the  excitement  the  other  day  that  they'd  be  caught 
before  the  week  was  out." 


250  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

"So  did  everybody  else,"  Jim  answered.  "But  they 
can't  seem  to  round  them  up." 

"I  guess  they  never  will,"  said  Evelyn ;  then  added, 
turning  to  Marion,  "Lucile  and  Jessie  were  telling  me 
about  the  watch  that  was  stolen  from  you,  Marion. 
Have  you  found  any  trace  of  it  yet  ?" 

The  boys  pricked  up  their  ears,  for  they  had  heard 
nothing  of  this  latest  development  and  anything  new 
interested  them  exceedingly. 

As  for  Marion,  the  poor  girl  was  overcome  with 
embarrassment.  Never  before  in  her  life  could  she 
remember  having  been  the  focus  of  so  many  eyes,  and 
the  power  of  speech  seemed  suddenly  to  have  left  her 
— she  couldn't  have  said  anything  on  a  wager.  As 
usual,  Lucile  came  to  the  rescue. 

"No,  she  hasn't  been  able  to  trace  it  anywhere," 
she  answered  for  her.  "But  we  still  live  in  hopes, 
don't  we,  Marion?  It  seems  to  me,"  she  added,  turn- 
ing to  the  'Cinderella  girl,'  who  was  gradually  re- 
gaining courage,  "it  seems  to  me  you  never  told  us 
just  how  it  happened.  Won't  you  please  ?" 

This  was  one  of  the  first  things  Lucile  had  drilled 
into  her  adoring  pupil — to  talk  as  often  as  she  could 


Mirth  and  Margaret  251 

get  the  chance  and  to  as  many  people  as  possible. 
Now  her  coaching  was  beginning  to  bear  fruit. 

Marion  swallowed  once  or  twice,  then  began  tim- 
idly, "I — I  don't  exactly  know  that  it  was  stolen," 
she  said.  "It  just  disappeared,  that's  all." 

"Disappeared!"  they  echoed,  leaning  forward 
eagerly.  "What  do  you  mean,  disappeared  ?" 

"Why,  I  had  just  gone  into  the  writing  room,"  she 
continued,  encouraged  by  their  very  evident  interest, 
"and  when  I  sat  down  at  one  of  the  desks  I  noticed 
that  my  watch  had  stopped,  and  when  I  tried  to  wind 
it,  found  it  hadn't  run  down.  Then  I  took  it  off  to 
examine  it  more  closely,  and  when  I  couldn't  find  any- 
thing wrong,  I  laid  it  down  on  the  desk  and  went 
on  writing." 

"Yes,"  they  breathed — this  was  getting  interesting. 

"Well,  that's  all,"  she  finished.  "When  I  looked  up, 
the  watch  had  disappeared." 

"What  ?"  cried  Jack,  "and  you  say  no  one  had  come 
near  you?" 

"Nobody,"  said  Marion,  knowing  for  the  first  time 
the  joys  of  a  sensation-maker.  "I  know  no  one  came 
into  the  room  while  I  was  writing,  for  Peggy  Bright 


252  Lucile,  B  ringer  of  Joy 

was  sitting  where  she  had  a  good  view  of  the  door, 
and  could  see  anybody  who  came  in  or  out." 

"Peggy  Bright,"  Jessie  murmured  in  a  peculiar 
tone,  while  Ray  demanded  excitedly,  "and  she  said 
there  was  nobody  in  the  room?" 

"Not  a  soul." 

Jack  drew  a  long  whistle  of  amazement.  "Well," 
he  said,  "I  guess  this  is  a  case  for  Sherlock  Holmes," 
and  they  all  agreed  with  him. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE    CAMP-FIRE    SPIRIT 

"Lucy,"  I  can't  keep  it  to  myself  another  minute." 

It  was  the  morning  after  Marion's  strange  tale  of 
the  missing  watch,  and  Lucile  and  Jessie  were  stand- 
ing alone  on  the  porch  of  their  cottage. 

Lucile  turned  to  her  friend  in  surprise.  "What  do 
you  mean?"  she  inquired.  "I  didn't  know  anything 
terrible  was  on  your  conscience,  dear." 

"It's  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  my  conscience," 
retorted  Jessie,  impatiently;  adding,  mysteriously,  "I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  it  has  something  to  do  with 
somebody  else's,  though." 

Lucile  was  interested.    "Whose?"  she  queried. 

"Peggy  Bright' s,"  she  answered,  cryptically. 

Lucile  started.  "Goodness,  why  Peggy?"  she  in- 
quired. "And  what's  she  been  doing?" 

"Oh,  a  little  of  everything,"  said  Jessie  viciously. 
"She  was  the  one  who  said  all  those  nice  things  about 
us." 

"Oh,"    Lucile   was    thoughtful.      "You    said    last 
253 


254  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

night  that  she  made  some  remarks  about  me,  too. 
What  were  they?" 

"I'm  not  going  to  tell,"  said  her  friend,  decidedly. 
"It  wasn't  for  that  I  spoke  to  you  about  Peggy.  It 
only  seemed  a  strange  coincidence  that  while  I  was 
thinking  of  her,  Marion  should  speak  her  name." 

"It  is  strange,"  Lucile  admitted.  "I  wonder  what 
the  girl  can  possibly  have  against  us." 

"Nothing,  except  that  she's  jealous  of  you,"  said 
Jessie.  "She  likes  my  little  old  cousin  pretty  well,  I 
guess,  and  she  doesn't  like  to  see  you  carrying  off  all 
the  honors." 

"Maybe  you're  right,"  Lucile  was  remembering  that 
night  at  the  dance.  "Anyway,  she'll  have  everything 
to  herself  after  we  go." 

"Oh,  Lucy,  please  don't  speak  of  going  in  that  calm 
way,"  cried  Jessie,  clapping  her  hands  over  her  ears. 
"I  can't  even  bear  to  think  of  it." 

"I  know — it  does  seem  as  if  we'd  been  here  barely 
a  week  instead  of  a  month  and  more,"  Lucile  agreed, 
"but  sooner  or  later  we've  got  to  realize  the  fact  that 
Burleigh  looms  only  a  little  over  a  week  away." 

"Don't!"  Jessie  begged  again.  "We've  had  such  a 
wonderful  time." 

"Well,  from  the  things  the  boys  have  planned,  I 


The  Camp-Fire  Spirit  255 

imagine  we're  going  to  have  an  even  more  wonderful 
time  for  this  last  week.  We'll  just  have  to  think  of 
that  and  let  what  comes  after  take  care  of  itself," 
and  with  this  last  bit  of  philosophy  they  ran  off  to 
join  the  girls. 

It  was  true  that  in  the  rush  and  excitement  of  the 
last  few  weeks  the  friends  had  forgotten  the  rapid 
passage  of  time,  and,  indeed,  when  upon  one  or  two 
occasions  their  ultimate  return  to  Burleigh  had  been 
mentioned,  it  had  been  pushed  resolutely  into  the 
background.  As  Lucile  had  said,  their  slogan  from 
the  first  had  been,  "let  the  future  take  care  of  itself." 
And  the  boys  had  helped  them  nobly  in  this  resolve 
by  filling  each  day  so  full  of  fun  and  excitement  that 
they  had  little  time  to  think  of  anything  but  the 
present. 

"Is  Marion  going  on  the  straw  ride  to-night  ?"  Mar- 
jorie  questioned." 

"Of  course,"  said  Lucile.  "And  the  nice  thing 
about  it  is  that  Joe  Bennett's  going  to  take  her." 

"Joe  Bennett,"  Evelyn  repeated,  staring.  "Why, 
I  didn't  think  you  could  make  him  go  near  her  with 
a  forty-foot  pole." 

"Well,  Jack  put  it  up  to  him  in  his  most  agreeable 


256  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

way,"  Lucile  explained,  her  eyes  twinkling,  "and  he 
replied  that  he  knew  his  good  nature  would  be  the 
ruin  of  him  yet,  but  that  he'd  consent  once  more  to 
be  the  goat.  I  imagine,"  she  added,  mysteriously, 
"he'll  think  himself  a  very  lucky  'goat'  when  he  sees 
Marion  to-night." 

"Now,  you're  going  to  spring  something  else  on 
us,"  Marjorie  complained.  "What  are  you  going  to 
do  with  Cinderella,  Lucile?" 

"She  doesn't  want  to  tell  and  I  can't  say  that  I 
blame  her,"  said  Evelyn  with  unaccustomed  humility. 
"Lucile  is  really  the  only  one  who's  kept  to  the  letter 
of  the  camp-fire  in  this  thing.  The  rest  of  us  have 
been  mighty  selfish." 

"It's  strange,"  said  Marjorie,  clasping  her  hands 
about  her  knees  and  looking  serious,  "but  I  was  think- 
ing almost  that  very  thing.  Last  night  when  Marion 
seemed  so  shy  about  talking  and  so  sort  of — fright- 
ened, it  made  me  feel  ashamed  to  think  I  had  held 
back,  when  Lucile  first  proposed  helping  her.  The 
shame  has  been  gradually  growing." 

"Oh,  nonsense,"  cried  Lucile  generously  "You've 
all  helped  me  wonderfully  lately.  You  were  a  little 
thoughtless  in  the  beginning,  that's  all." 


The  Camp-Fire  Spirit  257 

"Well,  that's  just  exactly  what  a  camp-fire  girl 
oughtn't  to  be,"  said  Evelyn,  firmly.  "She's  supposed 
to  have  some  thought  for  other  people  and  we  hadn't. 
You're  the  only  real  camp-fire  girl  in  the  crowd." 

"My,  them's  hard  words,"  said  Jessie,  plaintively. 
"I  know  we're  horrid,  but  I  wouldn't  go  quite  that  far. 
Besides,  if  we  let  this  teach  us  a  lesson,  it  ought  to 
help  some,  oughtn't  it,  Lucy?" 

"I  should  say  so,"  Lucile  replied  seriously,  for  the 
laws  of  the  camp-fire  were  very  dear  to  her,  and  gov- 
erned almost  everything  she  did.  "We  all  of  us  have 
to  make  slips  sometimes,  and  lots  of  them,  too.  The 
best  we  can  do  is  try  to  learn  our  lessons  from  them. 
Oh,  but  I  have  something  to  tell  you,"  she  added,  sud- 
denly remembering.  "I  didn't  like  to  speak  of  it  be- 
fore all  the  boys  last  night.  It's  about  Marion's 
brother " 

The  girls  crowded  around  her  eagerly,  while  she  re- 
lated the  scene  between  herself  and  Marion  the  after- 
noon before.  In  the  middle  of  the  narrative  their 
guardian  and  Margaret,  who  had  been  talking  very 
earnestly  together,  strolled  toward  them  and  were  en- 
thusiastically welcomed  into  the  group. 

When  Lucile  had  finished,  the  girls  were  overflow- 


258  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

ing  with  excitement  and  interest,  all  except  Margaret, 
who  seemed  more  startled  than  anything  else. 

"What  shall  we  do  about  it,  guardian?"  asked  Lu- 
cile, turning  anxiously  to  Mrs.  Wescott  for  advice. 
"Marion's  afraid  to  speak  of  it  to  her  uncle — he  and 
his  nephew  parted  in  a  quarrel,  you  know,  and  we 
are  the  only  ones  she  can  turn  to  for  help.  Can't  we 
do  something?" 

"Of  course,  and  we  will,  dear,"  Mrs.  Wescott  as- 
sured her.  "I'll  speak  to  Mr.  Turnbull  about  it  and 
see  what  he  advises.  Until  then,  let's  think  of  some- 
thing else.  What  time  do  you  expect  Marion  this 
afternoon  ?" 

With  this  they  were  forced  to  be  content,  though 
Lucile  wondered  not  a  little  at  her  guardian's  lack  of 
enthusiasm.  Even  then,  it  did  not  occur  to  one  of  the 
girls  to  criticize  their  guardian's  attitude — their  faith 
in  her  was  too  implicit. 

In  the  afternoon  the  girls  took  a  short  swim  which 
Lucile  cut  all  the  shorter  on  the  plea  that  she  wanted 
to  help  Marion  dress. 

The  girls  looked  after  the  two  as  they  ran  up  to 
the  cottage  hand  in  hand,  then  turned  to  each  other 
questioningly.  Marjorie  voiced  the  common  thought. 


The  Camp-Fire  Spirit  259 

"I'm  anxious  to  see  what  Lucile  is  going  to  do  with 
Marion  to-night,"  she  said. 

Once  inside  the  cottage,  Lucile  wasted  no  time. 
"Come  on,  Marion,"  she  cried.  "Now,  to  show  those 
people  a  thing  or  two!" 

Marion  obeyed  without  protest,  but  her  heart  beat 
fast  and  her  breath  came  and  went  quickly.  Lucile 
propelled  her  protege  into  the  little  guest  room  which 
Lucile  had  obtained  permission  to  use  as  her  own  pri- 
vate dressing  room  that  night.  She  closed  the  door 
and  locked  it,  then  turned  to  Marion  with  a  sigh  of 
relief.  "I'd  stuff  cotton  in  the  keyhole,"  she  laughed, 
"if  the  camp-fire  didn't  forbid  peeping.  Now  get 
washed  quickly,  Marion,  so  I  can  fix  that  pretty  hair 
of  yours." 

"I  wish  I  could  belong  to  a  camp-fire  club  like 
yours,"  said  Marion  with  a  touch  of  her  old  wistful- 
ness.  She  was  seated  before  the  dresser  and  Lucile 
was  already  brushing  out  the  wealth  of  gold-brown 
hair.  "You  have  such  wonderful  times." 

"Well,  why  can't  you?"  Lucile  questioned,  impul- 
sively. "Even  if  you  do  live  in  New  York,  there's 
no  reason  why  you  can't  join  us  and  stay  with  one  of 
us  girls  when  there's  anything  special  going  on." 


260  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Oh,  Lucile,"  Marion's  eyes  were  very  bright  "I'd 
just  love  it" 

"All  right,  then  it's  settled,"  said  Lucile,  adding 
with  a  laugh.  "You'd  better  sit  still,  newly-elected- 
camp-fire-girl,  or  I  won't  get  your  hair  fixed  to-night." 

After  that,  a  statue  could  not  be  more  still  than 
Marion. 

Half  an  hour  later,  Jessie  knocked  on  the  door. 
"The  boys  are  here,"  she  called,  "and  they  expect  the 
hay  wagons  in  about  ten  minutes.  Aren't  you  nearly 
ready?" 

For  answer,  Lucile  flung  open  the  door,  standing 
half  behind  it,  so  that  Jessie's  eyes  would  rest  upon 
Marion  first.  Then  Jessie  and  the  other  two  girls, 
who  had  crowded  close  up  to  her  and  were  looking 
over  her  shoulder,  saw  what  they  had  more  than  half 
expected.  Lucile  had  transformed  this  modern  Cin- 
derella almost  as  much  as  had  the  fairy  godmother 
in  the  old  story.  The  golden-brown  hair,  which 
proved  delightfully  wavy  when  given  some  freedom, 
had  been  arranged  by  Lucile's  skilful  fingers  not  only 
to  accentuate  the  pretty  oval  of  her  face,  but  to  bring 
out  the  marvelous  lustre  of  a  pair  of  deep  gray  eyes. 


The  Camp-Fire  Spirit  261 

The  pretty  white  dress  had  been  shortened  to  a  more 
graceful  length,  and  a  broad  rose  ribbon,  caught  high 
in  front  and  looped  in  an  odd,  effective  little  bow  at 
the  back,  gave  a  touch  of  quaint  girlishness  to  the 
slender  figure  that  had  been  entirely  lacking  before. 
In  short,  Lucile  had  seen  the  possibilities  in  this  awk- 
ward, lonely  little  bit  of  girlhood  and  had,  with  char- 
acteristic warm-hearted  enthusiasm,  improved  upon 
them. 

"Why,  Marion,  you  look  wonderful,"  Evelyn  cried, 
recovering  from  her  surprise  and  hugging  the  girl 
warmly.  "We'll  none  of  us.  have  a  chance  to-night. 
Lucile,  come  out  from  behind  that  door — you  don't 
need  to  think  you  can  hide  from  us." 

Lucile  obeyed,  laughing.  "If  the  boys  are  here,"  she 
said,  "come  down,  all  of  you — I  want  to  show  Marion 
to  them,"  and  off  they  went,  all  talking  at  once,  show- 
ering Marion  with  compliments  that  made  the  new 
color  in  her  face  burn  deeper  than  before. 

The  boys  had  heard  them  coming,  indeed  it  would 
have  been  strange  if  they  hadn't,  and  had  crowded 
into  the  hall  to  meet  them. 

They  all  loked  at  Lucile  first — everybody  always  did 


262  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

that — and  then  at  her  companion.  At  first  none  rec- 
ognized the  little  girl  with  the  rose  ribbon.  Then 
Joe  Bennett  strode  suddenly  forward. 

"Well,  I'll  be  blessed,"  he  began;  then  added,  as  the 
sound  of  laughter  floated  down  the  wind,  "I  think  the 
wagons  are  coming,  Miss  Marion — shall  we  show 
them  the  way?" 


CHAPTER  XXV 

GHOSTS 

THE  others  stared  for  a  minute,  then,  half  under- 
standing the  situation,  made  a  rush  for  their  partners, 
and  started  out  after  the  missing  ones,  shouting  to 
them  to  wait  a  minute — what  was  their  hurry— etc. — 
etc. 

Only  Lucile  and  Jack  lingered  a  moment  waiting 
for  Mrs.  Wescott,  and  Jack  began  to  laugh  softly. 

"What  are  you  laughing  at  ?"  Lucile  demanded,  not 
daring  to  look  at  him.  "Is  there  something  the  mat- 
ter with  me?" 

"I've  never  been  able  to  find  anything,"  he  an- 
swered, still  laughing.  "I  was  just  thinking  of  old 
Joe  and  the  'spinster  lady/  I  always  thought  you 
were  a  wonder,  little  Lucile;  now  I  know  you're  a 
genius." 

"It  was  pretty  neat,  wasn't  it  ?"  she  chuckled.  "But 
how  do  you  know  I  did  it?" 

"Because  no  one  else  in  the  world  would  have  been 
sweet  enough  to  even  think  of  it,"  he  replied,  fer- 
vently. 

263 


264  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

Then  Mrs.  Wescott  joined  them,  and  they  had  no 
more  time  for  private  conversation. 

They  found  the  two  wagon-loads  of  young  folks 
impatiently  awaiting  them,  and  scrambled  aboard 
without  more  delay.  Everybody  was  in  the  best  of 
spirits,  and  they  started  off  merrily. 

But,  alas,  how  soon  can  ruthless  nature  put  an  end 
to  all  good  times.  They  had  gone  scarcely  a  mile 
when  the  distant  rumble  of  thunder  warned  them  that 
a  shower  was  imminent.  A  chorus  of  "ohs"  and 
"ahs"  and  muffled  groans  rose  from  the  two  wagons, 
and  the  girls  and  boys  looked  at  each  other  rebel- 
liously. 

"Of  course,  you  might  know  something  would  come 
along  to  spoil  the  fun,"  said  the  voice  of  Josie  Conk- 
lin  from  the  adjoining  wagon. 

"And  there's  not  a  house  anywhere  along  the  road 
for  a  mile  and  more,"  wailed  another.  "Oh,  what  are 
we  going  to  do?" 

"Guess  we're  going  to  get  wet,"  said  Phil,  cheerily. 
"Get  under  the  straw,  girls,  you  won't  feel  it  so  much." 

"Oh,  I  felt  a  drop,"  cried  Peggy  Bright,  who,  much 
to  Jessie's  secret  disgust,  had  been  included  in  the 
party.  "We'll  be  soaked  through — I  simply  can't  get 
my  dress  wet." 


Ghosts  265 

"As  though  her  dress  were  any  better  than  anybody 
else's,"  Jessie  was  grumbling,  when  the  driver  of  their 
wagon  sung  out: 

"There's  an  old  house  a  little  ways  down  the  road. 
Most  of  the  winders  is  broken,  so  the  young  fellers 
can  get  in  an'  open  the  doors." 

Mrs.  Wescott  drew  a  sigh  of  relief.  "Drive  us 
there  as  quickly  as  you  can,"  she  directed.  "It  will 
at  least  give  us  some  sort  of  shelter  till  the  shower  is 
over." 

Mr.  Turnbull  and  his  wife,  who  had  obligingly 
agreed  to  chaperon  the  young  folks  with  her,  fully 
agreed  in  her  decision  and  the  driver  whipped  up  his 
horses  to  a  sort  of  lumbering  gallop. 

The  drops  were  coming  faster  now,  and  without  a 
word  Jack  slipped  off  his  coat  and  wrapped  it  around 
Lucile's  shoulders. 

"But  I  have  my  coat,"  she  protested  as  his  arm 
lingered  longer  than  was  necessary.  "You — you  may 
get  cold,  Jack." 

"I'm  not  worrying,"  he  answered,  smiling  down  at 
her  protectingly,  and  apparently  neither  noticed  that 
he  forgot  entirely  to  take  his  arm  away.  Perhaps  it 
was  needed  to  keep  the  coat  in  place — who  knows? 

Then  just  as  the  rain  began  to  come  down  in  ear- 


266  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

nest,  the  wagon  drew  up  before  a  rather  ramshackle 
old  place,  and  the  girls  and  boys  scrambled  down  in  a 
hurry.  The  latter  marshaled  them  up  on  the  porch 
while  they  went  to  find  an  accessible  window. 

A  moment  later  a  whoop  of  triumph  from  some- 
where in  the  back  of  the  house  announced  to  the  anx- 
ious girls  that  they  had  been  successful.  As  the  door 
opened  from  the  inside,  and  they  crowded  gladly  into 
the  dark  hall — by  this  time  the  rain  had  begun  to  beat 
in  upon  the  porch — one  of  the  old  drivers  uttered  a 
brilliant  remark. 

"Some  folks,"  he  said,  "some  folks  says  this  house 
air  hanted.  But  I  don't  believe  it,"  he  added,  hastily 
as  one  of  the  girls  screamed  and  the  others  regarded 
him  in  open-mouthed  horror.  No,  siree,  I  ain't  never 
set  no  stock  in  what  folks  say — I  ain't " 

"Haunted,"  Josie  Conklin  repeated  in  terror.  "Oh, 

let  me  out  of  here,  somebody — let  me  out ,"  and 

she  ran  for  the  door,  but  Mrs.  Wescott's  calm  voice 
made  her  pause. 

"Just  a  moment,  just  a  moment,"  she  said,  slipping 
before  the  door  and  literally  holding  the  fort.  "I  hope 
no  one  will  be  silly  enough  to  credit  such  a  story. 
Ghosts,"  she  repeated,  with  a  merry  laugh  that  re- 


Ghosts  267 

laxed  the  tension  and  made  the  frightened  girls  sud- 
denly ashamed  of  themselves.  "Why,  everybody 
knows  there  aren't  any,  and  if  there  were,  I  guess  all 
of  us  together  would  be  more  than  a  match  for  him. 
Come,  scuttle,  all  of  you,  and  let's  see  what  we  can 
find  to  make  ourselves  comfortable." 

They  obeyed,  though  still  somewhat  reluctantly, 
and  with  Mr.  Turnbull  in  the  lead,  entered  the 
first  room  that  opened  off  from  the  hall.  The  girls 
stood  huddled  together  in  one  corner,  while  the  boys 
lit  matches  and  inspected  their  very  unpromising  sur- 
roundings. Outside,  the  wind  rose  higher  and  higher, 
shrieking  about  the  house  in  cyclonic  gusts  which 
shook  the  frail  building  and  every  moment  threatened 
to  demolish  it,  while  the  rain  beat  down  unendingly. 

The  girls  drew  closer  together  while  Jessie  gripped 
Lucile's  hand,  spasmodically. 

"Ooh,"  she  shouted  above  the  uproar,  "I  guess  this 
is  a  tornado  or  something.  I'm  glad  we  could  get  in 
this  place — even  if  it  is  haunted." 

"Oh,"  cried  one  of  the  girls,  catching  the  last  word. 
"If  anybody  says  another  word  about  ghosts,  I'll  start 
to  run  and  I'll  never  stop.  Just  listen  to  that  wind !" 

"We  can't  very  well  help  it,"  said  Jack,  pleasantly, 


268  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

as  his  progress  of  inspection  brought  him  near  the 
girls.  "It's  making  enough  noise,  to  be  sure.  Well," 
he  added,  straightening  up  and  turning  to  Mrs.  Wes- 
cott,  "there  seems  to  be  a  large  amount  of  nothing 
in  particular  here.  Shall  we  go  on  to  the  next  room?" 

Mrs.  Wescott  was  about  to  consent  when  Phil  had 
an  idea,  which,  according  to  his  nature,  he  immediately 
voiced.  "Why  not  go  into  the  kitchen?"  he  suggested. 
"That's  the  way  we  fellows  came  in,  and  I  remember 
we  stumbled  over  a  lot  of  things.  Then,  where  there's 
a  kitchen,  there's  likely  to  be  a  stove,  and  where  there's 
a  stove,  there  may  be  some  wood.  A  fire  would  make 
things  look  a  darn — beg  pardon — a  good  deal  more 
cheerful." 

"Good,"  said  Mrs.  Wescott,  and  they  pushed  and 
jostled  their  way  into  the  kitchen,  where  Jack  uttered 
a  shout  of  joy. 

"You're  right  there,  old  man,"  he  cried  to  Phil. 
"I've  run  head  first  into  a  wood  shed — now  for  some 
light  on  the  subject!" 

At  once  the  party  waxed  more  cheerful.  The 
thought  of  a  fire  lent  an  anticipatory  glow  to  their 
dreary  surroundings,  and  made  the  deserted  place  less 
intolerable.  They  intended  to  make  the  fire  in  the 


C  aosts  269 

stove,  but  when  someone  suggester  that  there  must 
be  a  fireplace  around  somewhere,  the  boys  went  in 
search  of  it.  Left  alone,  something  of  their  former 
fear  descended  upon  the  girls  and  they  listened  to  the 
shrieking  of  the  wind,  uneasily. 

Then  they  heard  it!  From  somewhere  overhead  it 
came — a  long,  low  moaning  sound,  followed  by  a  gen- 
tle tapping — like  bony  fingers  on  the  window  pane. 

For  a  moment  the  girls  clung  to  one  another  in 
nameless  horror,  while  even  Mrs.  Wescott  could  feel 
herself  grow  pale.  Then  Evelyn  cried  out  hysterically, 
"Boys,  come  back  here — come  back!" 

The  frantic  appeal  was  answered  immediately,  and 
the  explorers  came  rushing  back,  treading  on  each 
other's  heels  and  demanding  to  know  what  had  hap- 
pened. 

"Is  anybody  hurt?"  cried  Jack.  "Lucile,  where  are 
you?" 

"Over  here,"  came  a  faint  voice,  while  a  hand 
groped  out  in  the  darkness  and  found  his.  "Oh,  Jack, 
please  don't  go  away  again." 

"I'll  never  go  very  far,"  he  promised,  fervently; 
then  listened  with  the  others  to  Mrs.  Wescott's  ex- 
planation of  the  incident. 


270  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"Doubtless  it  was  the  wind  or  our  imagination,"  she 
was  finishing,  when,  as  though  to  disprove  her  words, 
the  eerie  tapping  recommenced,  accompanied  by  the 
weird,  low  moaning  sound.  Phil  confessed  afterward 
that  he  could  feel  the  hair  rise  on  his  head. 

A  shiver  ran  through  the  group,  and  Josie  Conklin 
began  to  cry  softly. 

"Oh,  I  told  you  so,"  moaned  Peggy  Bright.  "Oh, 
I  want  to  get  out  of  this  place — I  want  to  go  home." 

"So  do  we  all  of  us,"  said  Phil,  trying  to  be  jocular. 
"Only  I  prefer  the  company  of  ghosts  to  that  maniac 
of  a  wind  outside.  Come  on,  fellows,  we'll  lay  the  old 
chap." 

"You're  not  going  up  there  alone,"  cried  Jessie  as 
he  darted  toward  the  door.  "Oh,  Phil,  I  won't  let 
you!" 

"We'll  go  with  them,"  said  Lucile,  suddenly  decid- 
ing that  it  would  be  an  easier  fate  to  die  with  Jack 
than  to  live  on  without  him.  "C — camp-fire  girls 
aren't  supposed  to  be  af — fraid  of  anything,  anyway." 

"Oh,  Lucile,"  wailed  Jessie.  "I'm  not  afraid  of 
anything  I  can  see  but — oh,  all  right,  I'll  go,"  she 
added,  hastily,  as  Phil  took  a  step  toward  the  door. 
"It  can't  be  much  worse  than  waiting  here " 


Ghosts  271 

"There  it  is  again,"  cried  Evelyn,  backing  into  a 
corner  and  covering  her  face  with  her  hands.  "Oh — 
oh,  what  shall  we  do  ?" 

For  answer,  Mr.  Turnbull  strode  quickly  toward  the 
door.  "We  are  going  to  find  out  who  or  what's  mak- 
ing that  noise,"  he  said  decidedly.  "If  anybody  wants 
to  come  with  me,  all  right.  We'll  wind  up  that  ghost 
in  a  jiffy." 

Four  or  five  of  the  boys  volunteered,  including  Jack 
and  Phil,  of  course,  while  Jessie  and  Lucile  obtained 
permission  to  accompany  them." 

"They  must  be  crazy,"  marveled  Peggy  Bright; 
then,  turning  to  the  girl  beside  her,  added  in  a  stage 
whisper,  "didn't  I  tell  you  Lucile  Payton  was  making 
a  dead  set  for  Jack?" 

Marjorie  heard  and  turned  upon  the  jealous  girl, 
indignantly.  "Girls  like  Lucile,"  she  said,  very  quietly, 
"have  no  need  to  deny  charges  like  that — they  are  too 
obviously  absurd.  Besides,  they  often,  quite  often  in 
fact,  react  upon  the  one  who  makes  them."  Then 
she  finished  her  sentence  to  Evelyn. 

Meanwhile,  the  girls  had  followed  their  leaders, 
fearfully  it  must  be  confessed,  up  the  creaking  stairs 
and  into  the  first  room,  where  they  found  a  great 


272  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

amount  of  emptiness  and  nothing  else.  Then  they 
tip-toed  into  the  hall  again,  listening  intently  for  a 
repetition  of  the  sound.  For  a  moment,  only  the 
soughing  of  the  wind  and  the  torrential  beating  of  rain 
against  the  windows  rewarded  their  strained  attenion. 
Then  it  came  again,  seeming  almost  at  their  very  el- 
bows, and  the  girls  clung  to  each  other,  desperately 
summoning  what  was  left  of  their  courage. 

"It  seems  to  be  in  there,"  said  Jack,  pointing  to  a 
room  directly  in  front  of  them.  "Now  we'll  see  what 
it  is  that's  ruining  our  nervous  systems." 

The  girls  slipped  in  after  them,  keeping  close  to  the 
door — a  hasty  retreat  might  be  necessary,  they  rea- 
soned— anyway,  it  was  always  well  to  keep  the  way 
open. 

"Look,"  cried  Jim,  and  paralyzed,  they  followed  his 
pointing  finger. 

There,  outside  the  window,  something,  dim  and 
shadowy,  had  reached  over,  tapped  the  pane  gently, 
then  retreated  slowly,  its  protesting  moan  carrying 
even  above  the  wind. 

If  Phil  had  not  darted  toward  the  window  at  that 
precise  moment,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  Jessie  would 
have  retreated  unconditionally — but  since  she  feared 


Ghosts  273 

even  more  for  him  than  for  herself,  she  paused  in  the 
very  act  of  flight. 

"Oh,  Phil,"  she  wailed,  but  her  cry  came  too  late. 

He  and  Jack  had  reached  the  window  almost  at  the 
same  second,  and  together  they  flung  it  wide.  Then 
something  brushed  Phil's  face  and  he  drew  back  while 
Jack  cried  out,  joyously,  "That's  the  ghost,  old  man — 
almost  got  you,  too !  See  that,  Dad  ?" 

"That"  was  the  dead  branch  of  a  tree  that  stood 
close  to  the  old  cottage,  and  which,  in  stormy 
weather,  swayed  back  and  forth  in  such  manner  as  to 
make  the  queer  scraping  noise  they  had  all  mistaken 
for  a  moan. 

"But  the  tapping  fingers,"  cried  Lucile,  astonished, 
"Did  the  branch  do  that,  too?" 

Jack  nodded,  looking  down  at  her  with  shining  eyes. 
Then,  while  the  others  dashed  off  to  tell  the  welcome 
news  to  the  shivering  party  waiting  in  the  kitchen,  he 
turned  to  her  again — his  arms  outstretched  and  his 
voice  pleading. 

"Little  Lucile,"  he  said,  unsteadily,  "I've  got  to  tell 
you " 

But  she  evaded  him,  leaning  up  against  the  door  a 
little  breathlessly,  a  little  joyfully,  tremulously  certain 


274  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

that  she  ought  to  go  yet  wanting  with  all  her  warm, 
young  heart  to  stay.  Now,  he  was  before  her  again — 
his  handsome  head  bent  close  to  her  own,  his  hand 
groping  eagerly  for  hers " 

"Oh,  is  this  the  room?"  asked  a  voice,  and  the  del- 
uge swept  in  upon  them. 

But  Jack  had  found  the  little  hand  and,  under  cover 
of  the  darkness  had  pressed  it  gently  to  his  lips. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE    PITILESS   SEA 

• 

JESSIE  paused  in  the  act  of  removing  a  shoe  and 
looked  about  her  disconsolately. 

"We  might  have  known  it  would  rain,  rain,  rain, 
for  the  last  few  days  of  our  stay,"  she  said,  dis- 
gustedly. "Something  always  happens  just  to  spoil 
the  end  of  our  vacation.  Listen  to  that  uproar !" 

"Well,  it  was  very  considerate  last  night,  anyway," 
said  Evelyn.  "It  stopped  just  long  enough  for  us  to 
get  home.  Hand  me  that  dressing  gown,  will  you, 
Margaret — that's  a  dear.  Thanks,"  and  she  adjusted 
the  pretty,  beribboned  robe  about  her  plump  little  per- 
son and  leaned  back  against  the  pillows  contentedly. 

"Yes,  but  it's  pretty  hard  on  Margaret,  just  the 
same,"  said  Lucile,  putting  an  arm  about  the  younger 
girl,  lovingly.  "We  wanted  to  show  you  about  the 
place,  dear,  and  now  we  can't." 

"I  didn't  come  down  to  see  the  place,"  said  Mar- 
garet, smiling.  "As  long  as  I'm  with  you  girls,  I 

don't  care  whether  we're  on  a  desert  island  or  in  a 

275 


Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

By  the  way,  Lucy,"  she  added,  turning  to 
the  latter  eagerly,  "I  hear  you  have  a  new  recruit  for 
the  camp-fire." 

Lucile  uttered  a  startled  exclamation.  "Oh,  I  for- 
got," she  cried,  in  quick  compunction.  "I  was  so  taken 
up  with  ghosts  that  I  neglected  to  speak  about  Ma- 
rion." 

"Marion,"  echoed  the  girls  with  interest;  and  Mar- 
jorie  added,  severely,  "What's  this  you've  been  doing, 
Lucile  Payton — out  with  it." 

Undaunted,  Lucile  proceeded  to  describe  her  con- 
versation with  Marion  the  afternoon  before,  and  when 
she  had  finished,  the  girls  fairly  clamored  their  ap- 
proval. 

"It's  just  exactly  like  you,  Lucy  dear,"  said  Jessie, 
her  cheek  against  Lucile's.  "And  I'm  mighty  glad 
you  did  it.  Marion's  such  an  entirely  different  person 
since  you  took  her  in  hand." 

"Joe  Bennett  seems  to  think  so,"  Lucile  chuckled; 
then  added  with  apparent  irrelevance,  "if  I  could  only 
be  sure  she  saw  her  brother  the  other  day." 

"Yes,  it  surely  is  a  deep,  dark  mystery,"  Marjorie 
agreed,  and  for  a  few  moments  there  was  silence, 
while  four  pretty  foreheads  were  wrinkled  in  deep 


The  Pitiless  Sea  277 

thought,  and  the  owners  thereof  pondered  long  on  the 
problem  and  its  possible  solutions. 

It  was  not  till  the  lights  were  out  and  the  five  girls 
had  scuttled  into  bed — Margaret  had  preferred  to 
wetlge  her  tkqr  person  into  the  big  bed  with  Marjo- 
rie  and  Erdya  rather  than  sleep  alone  in  the  guest 
room — that  Jessie  thought  of  something  strange. 

"Lucile,"  she  whispered,  touching  her  friend  softly. 
"Hasn't  it  ever  struck  you  funny  that  Margaret  never 
seems  interested  when  we  mention  Marion's  brother. 
She  never  said  a  word  to-night." 

Lucile  pushed  back  her  curls  and  looked  at  Jessie  in 
surprise.  "I  didn't  think  anybody  eke  had  noticed 
it,"  she  said.  "Yes,  it  is  queer." 

Then  there  was  silence  in  the  big  room  while  the 
wind  shrieked  ever  louder  and  fiercer,  whipping  the 
rain  against  the  windows  in  madcap  gusts  that  made 
the  girls  shiver  and  draw  the  covers  closer  about  them. 
The  surf  thundered  heavy  and  menacing  on  the  rocks 
like  some  great  giant,  crouched  and  grumbling,  wait- 
ing for  its  prey.  The  little  cottage  trembled  and  shook 
in  the  grip  of  the  hurricane  and  the  girls,  an  unac- 
knowledged fear  tugging  at  their  hearts,  drew  still 
closer  to  each  other. 


278  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

After  a  while  they  slept  fitfully,  roused  ever  and 
again  by  some  fresh  burst  of  fury — but  it  was  not  till 
toward  morning  that  the  climax  came.  Lucile  and 
Jessie  were  sitting  up  in  bed,  wide-eyed  and  fright- 
ened— but  it  was  not  to  the  raging  wind  or  the  pound- 
ing surf  that  they  listened  this  time — it  was  to  a  new 
sound — a  sound  infinitely  more  terrifying  than  either 
of  the  other  two.  People  were  coming  toward  them — 
people  whose  shouts  and  cries  could  be  heard  even 
above  the  clamor  of  the  elements. 

Actuated  by  one  impulse,  Lucile  and  Jessie  sprang 
from  the  bed  and  faced  each  other,  white-faced  and 
quivering. 

Jessie  strove  to  steady  her  shaking  voice.  "Oh, 
Lucy,  what  can  it  be?"  she  quavered.  "Must  be — ter- 
rible— this  time  in  the — morning,  too " 

"I  don't  know — I — don't — know,"  said  Lucile,  as  if 
speaking  to  herself.  Then  she  ran  over  and  opened 
the  door  just  in  time  to  admit  her  guardian.  The  lat- 
ter's  face  was  white  and  her  lips  were  firm  set,  but 
her  voice  was  calm  as  ever  as  she  gave  her  directions. 

"Get  dressed  quickly,  girls,"  she  said.  "The  storm 
has  brought  about  some  catastrophe  and  our  services 
may  be  needed.  Let's  see  how  soon  we  can  be 


The  Pitiless  Sea  279 

ready,"  then,  without  another  word  she  went  back 
to  her  own  room. 

The  girls  dressed  with  trembling  fingers — hooks  and 
eyes  evaded  them  with  diabolical  persistence.  When 
they  had  at  last  slipped  into  their  rubber  coats  they 
sighed  tremulously  and  turned,  to  find  their  guardian 
once  more  with  them. 

"Good,"  she  commented.  "Now  we'll  show  them 
how  courageous  camp-fire  girls  can  be." 

Unconsciously  the  girls  straightened  at  the  challenge 
and  followed  Mrs.  Wescott  quickly  down  the  stairs 
and  out  on  the  porch.  There  they  were  almost  taken 
off  their  feet  by  the  wind  and  had  to  cling  to  each 
other  for  support.  Then,  setting  their  teeth,  they 
fought  there  way  through  the  gale  to  the  crowd  of 
people  dimly  silhouetted  against  the  gray  light  of  com- 
ing dawn — people  seemingly  demented  with  excite- 
ment. 

When  they  had  reached  the  gesticulating  mob,  the 
girls  had  a  moment  to  catch  their  breath  and  turn  their 
eyes  toward  the  ocean.  Then  they  saw ! 

Far  out  upon  the  rocks,  perhaps  three  hundred  yards 
from  shore,  a  big  schooner  yacht  wrestled  and  fought 
with  the  pitiless  waters  that  were  dragging  her  inch  by 


280  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

inch,  step  by  step,  down  to  its  smothering  swirl  of 
blackness  and  destruction. 

"Oh,"  shrieked  Jessie  above  the  roar  of  the  wind. 
"And  the  little  boats,  look — Lucy,  they'll  never  get 
through.  Oh,  the  poor  things — the  poor  things. 
Guardian,  can't  we  do  something — something — to 
help?" 

"Not  yet — wait!"  said  her  guardian,  tersely,  and 
turned  once  more  to  watch  the  tiny  craft,  strugging  so 
bravely  against  overwhelming  odds. 

One  boat,  crammed  with  passengers  from  the  sink- 
ing ship,  had  made  half  the  distance  to  the  shore  while 
another,  manned  with  husky  volunteers  from  the  cot- 
tages around,  had  set  off  in  the  desperate  hope  of  res- 
cuing the  few  who  still  remained  on  board  the  wreck, 
which  was  rapidly  settling. 

"Where  are  the  boys?"  cried  Lucile.  "They  ought 
to  be  among  the  first  here." 

"Oh,  I  hope  they  don't  wake  up,"  said  Jessie,  shud- 
dering. "I  don't  want  to  see  them  drown  before  my 
very  eyes,"  then,  as  a  big,  burly  man  brushed  past 
them,  she  added,  "that's  Marion's  uncle.  I  met  him 
the  other  day  on  the  board-walk." 

Lucile  gave  the  big  man  a  swift  glance  then  her 


The  Pitiless  Sea  281 

eyes  returned  strainingly  to  that  life  and  death  strug- 
gle while  fear  gripped  at  her  heart  and  her  head  swam 
dizzily. 

Then  she  found  herself  swept  forward  with  the  rest 
of  the  yelling  crowd  toward  the  water  line,  where  a 
tremendous  wave  had  tossed  the  incoming  boat  and 
its  dripping  cargo  into  shallow  water.  Three  women 
and  two  little  children — a  boy  and  a  girl — were  half 
led — half  carried  to  dry  land,  where  our  girls  took 
immediate  charge  of  them.  As  their  cottage  was  the 
nearest,  Mrs.  Wescott,  with  her  comforting  smile  and 
ready  sympathy,  easily  prevailed  upon  the  strangers 
to  partake  of  her  hospitality  at  least  until  they  had 
rested  and  eaten  and  dried  out  their  clothes  a  little. 
Her  manner  was  so  matter-of-fact  and  cheery  on  that 
cheerless  morning  and  the  girls  took  such  immediate 
and  protecting  charge  of  the  little  ones,  that  the  mis- 
erable voyagers  even  smiled  a  little  as  they  permitted 
themselves  to  be  led  toward  the  cottage. 

The  four  men  who  had  brought  them  so  gallantly 
through  peril  refused  to  accompany  them,  preferring 
to  remain  on  shore  to  give  further  assistance  if  it 
should  prove  necessary. 

"Lucile,"  directed  Mrs.  Wescott  over  her  shoulder, 


282  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"you  and  Jessie  stay  here  and  I'll  join  you  again  in 
a  little  while." 

So  the  two  friends  fought  their  way  back  along  the 
beach — the  stinging  strands  of  wet  hair  whipping  their 
faces  viciously  and  their  breath  coming  in  hard  gasps 
— but  with  courage  unimpaired.  They  were  camp-fire 
girls  and  there  was  work  to  be  done ! 

On  the  way  back  they  were  almost  run  down  by 
four  stampeding  figures,  and  as  the  foremost  of  them 
stopped  to  gasp  an  apology,  they  recognized  Jack. 

"Lucile !"  he  cried,  "you  ought  to  be  warm  and  dry 
in  the  house — this  isn't  any  place  for  you." 

"I  think  it's  just  the  place  for  me,  Jack,"  she  af- 
firmed, fearlessly  then,  catching  sight  of  the  long  coil 
of  rope  he  and  the  other  boys  held  in  their  hands,  she 
added,  with  a  sudden  tightening  of  her  throat,  "the 
rope — what's  that  for?" 

"Thought  it  might  come  in  handy,"  Phil  shouted — 
he  had  to  shout  to  make  himself  heard  at  all.  "That's 
what  made  us  late.  Look !"  and  with  one  accord  they 
looked  out  to  where  the  gallant  little  band  of  rescuers 
was  fighting  its  brave  fight  with  the  tremendous,  foam- 
topped  waves  that  every  moment  threatened  to  de- 
stroy them. 


THEY  LOOKED  OUT  TO  WHERE  THE  GALLANT  LITTLE  BAND  OF  RESCUERS 
WAS    FIGHTING 


The  Pitiless  Sea  283 

The  silent  watchers  stood  breathless  while  the  little 
boat  edged  its  way  inch  by  inch  toward  the  big 
schooner,  whose  water-washed  decks  were  settling 
every  moment  lower — lower 

"Ah^-h,"  breathed  Lucile. 

Now  they  had  reached  it — were  lowering  the  casta- 
ways into  the  boat — a  difficult  and  dangerous  proceed- 
ing, but — they  had  done  it !  A  great  shout  of  joy  went 
up  as  the  prow  was  turned  shoreward  and  the  boat, 
dangerously  low  in  the  water  now,  began  its  perilous 
journey  toward  life  and  safety. 

"Oh,  if  we  could  only  pull  them  in,"  cried  Jessie,  in 
desperation;  and  then  the  boys  looked  down  at  the 
ropes  in  their  hands. 

"Yes,  I  guess  it's  up  to  me  to  do  the  lariat  act,"  said 
Phil  as  though  answering  an  unspoken  question.  Al- 
though his  words  were  flippant,  the  expression  on  his 
young  face  was  anything  but  that,  and  Jessie's  heart 
went  out  to  this  new  Phil.  "The  wind's  in  the  wrong 
direction  and  they're  pretty  far  away,  but — I'll  try." 

People  around  them  were  looking  at  him  curiously 
— then,  when  they  realized  his  purpose,  another  shout 
went  up  and  they  made  way  for  him  eagerly  as  he 
marched  down  to  the  edge  of  the  water. 


284  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

His  boy  scout  training  stood  him  in  good  stead.  He 
threw  the  lariat  once,  twice — and  missed.  But  the 
third  time — allowing  for  wind  and  distance,  the  rope 
hit  its  mark  and  a  man  in  the  boat  grasped  it  eagerly, 
making  it  fast  to  a  cleat. 

A  second  cry,  more  enthusiastic  than  the  first,  was 
wrung  from  the  crowd,  and  they  fell  to  work  with  a 
will,  pulling  lustily  on  the  rope. 

Then,  when  everything  seemed  going  well,  Jack 
turned  his  eyes  from  the  little  boat  to  the  derelict  on 
the  rocks.  With  a  hoarse  cry,  he  stripped  off  his  coat 
and  began  tying  the  end  of  the  rope  he  held  about  his 
waist. 

"Come,  help  me,  you  fellows,"  he  commanded, 
roughly.  "If  I  jerk  the  rope  twice  you'll  know  I'm 
all  in.  Then  pull  like  the " 

"But  Jack,"  Lucile  cried  desperately,  "where  are 
you  going — what  is  it " 

For  answer,  he  pointed  to  the  sinking  ship.  With 
a  cry  Lucile  started  back.  There  was  still  someone 
alive  on  the  derelict — someone  still  to  be  rescued.  She 
put  out  her  hands  to  Jack,  but  he  was  gone. 

With  a  little  sob,  she  sank  down  on  the  beach,  her 
face  in  her  hands.  At  last  her  splendid  courage  was 
giving  way. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
"MY  LITTLE  SISTER" 

THE  events  that  followed  seemed  to  Lucile  like 
some  swiftly-moving  kaleidoscopic  dream,  from  which 
she  must  presently  awake  to  find  herself  back  in  the 
cottage,  doing  the  same  old  things  in  the  same  old 
way. 

Yet,  deep  down  in  her  consciousness  was  the  awful 
certainty  that  this  was  no  dream — that  the  wild  ges- 
ticulations of  the  crowd,  their  alternating  cries  of  ad- 
miration and  fear  were  for  Jack,  her  Jack,  who  was 
out  there,  risking  his  own  life  to  save  another's.  And 
a  sudden  fierce  resentment  welled  up  in  her  heart,  sur- 
prising even  herself  by  its  intensity — resentment 
against  that  helpless  black  figure  out  there  on  the  ship 
for  whom  Jack  was  risking  everything.  It  wasn't  fair 
— the  cost  was  too  great ! 

Of  course,  others  had  tried  and  been  brought  back 
in  a  half-conscious  condition  before  they  had  nearly 
covered  the  distance  to  the  derelict,  but  still  Jack 
swam  on  and  on 

The  life-saving  boat  had  come  ashore,  and  the  shiv- 

285 


-06  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

ering  members  of  the  shipwrecked  party  had  been  led 
away  to  some  of  the  nearby  cottages  while  the  wreck- 
ing crew,  tired  and  worn  out  as  they  were,  had  started 
out  to  Jack's  relief. 

Then  it  was  that  Phil,  his  grim  young  face  set  in 
hard  lines,  turned  to  the  boys  behind  him  with  a  sharp 
cry.  The  rope  had  slackened  in  their  hands  and  the 
bobbing  spot  on  the  water  that  had  been  Jack  had  dis- 
appeared altogether. 

"Pull,"  he  directed,  hoarsely.  "For  heaven's  sake, 
pull,  fellows.  He's  all  in,  I  guess." 

And  while  they  obeyed,  hauling  on  the  rope  fran- 
tically, Lucile  clung  to  the  girls  and  her  guardian,  too 
terrified  to  move.  At  last,  when  she  thought  she  could 
stand  the  strain  no  longer,  two  men  who  had  waded 
up  to  their  waists  in  the  shallow  water,  stooped  sud- 
denly, lifted  something  in  their  arms  and  staggered 
with  it  toward  shore. 

At  the  same  instant  another  figure  flashed  past  them, 
flung  itself  headlong  into  the  water  and  breasted  the 
heavy  sea  with  long,  powerful  strokes  that  brought 
him  rapidly  nearer  the  foundering  ship  and  its  helpless 
victim. 

Lucile  gazed  after  this  new  rescuer  for  a  moment, 


"My  Little  Sister"  287 

then  stumblingly  rejoined  the  party  that  was  bringing 
Jack  to  shore.  When  they  laid  him  on  the  sand  she 
sank  down  beside  him  with  a  little  cry,  and  pushing 
back  his  black  hair,  disclosed  a  deep  cut  on  his  fore- 
head. Evidently  he  had  collided  with  a  piece  of  drift- 
ing wreckage  that  had  stunned  and  defeated  him  al- 
most at  the  very  moment  of  success. 

At  sight  of  the  wound  the  little  doctor  from  the 
hotel  became  at  once  all  bustle  and  activity. 

"Come,"  he  cried,  "there  is  no  time  to  lose.  He  is 
not  dead,  but  he  will  be  if  we  don't  hurry.  Quick, 
over  this  barrel — so.  That  is  right,  young  lady — a 
little  harder,  please.  Now  the  other  arm — so !  I  will 
bind  up  his  head " 

And  after  a  while  the  breath  of  life  came  back  to 
Jack's  tortured  lungs,  and  he  opened  his  eyes,  slowly, 
wearily,  as  though  the  effort  were  almost  too  great — 
but  there  was  no  recognition  in  the  unseeing  stare  that 
passed  from  Lucile  to  his  father,  to  the  rest  of  the  anx- 
iously sympathetic  little  group  about  him — then  the 
heavy  eyelids  dropped  and  he  sank  back  into  seeming 
unconsciousness. 

The  doctor  tapped  his  head  significantly.  'The 
blow,"  he  said.  "We  must  get  him  to  bed  at  once." 


288  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

Lucile  looked  appealingly  toward  her  guardian,  and 
she,  intercepting  the  look,  turned  to  Mr.  Turnbull. 

"Our  cottage  is  very  near,"  she  said  to  the  big  man, 
who  had  stooped  down  and  was  lifting  his  boy  in  his 
arms  as  though  he  had  been  a  baby,  "and  perhaps  it 
would  be  well  to  take  him  there  where  he  can  have 
immediate  attention — and  the  very  best,"  she  added. 

The  big  man  nodded  dazedly  and  followed  the  oth- 
ers toward  the  cottage  where  so  many  had  received 
cheer  and  comfort  on  that  eventful  morning.  A  few 
moments  later  the  unconscious  young  hero  was  safely 
installed  in  the  little  white  bed  in  the  guest  room  with 
Lucile — oh,  such  a  tender,  gentle  little  nurse — to  help 
Mrs.  Wescott  with  the  care  of  him. 

And  meanwhile  more  things  were  happening  out- 
side. Marion,  who  had  come  down  with  her  uncle 
and  had  been  hurrying  to  meet  the  girls  when  the 
mysterious  stranger  had  come  so  abruptly  upon  the 
scene,  had  put  her  hand  to  her  mouth  and  stared  wild- 
eyed  after  the  retreating  figure.  None  had  noticed  her 
emotion — they  were  too  much  absorbed  in  the  swiftly 
moving  drama  before  them  to  pay  much  attention  to 
her  own  small  self. 

And  so  the  girls  found  her  when,  without  Lucile, 


"My  Little  Sister"  289 

they  returned  to  the  beach — hand  still  clasped  over 
her  tightly-closed  mouth,  eyes  fixed  strainingly  on  the 
small  dot  far  out  on  the  water  that  was  sometimes  lost 
altogether  in  the  trough  of  a  gigantic  wave.  The  men 
in  the  life-saving  boat  were  making  hard  work  of  it- 
tired  as  they  were — and  it  seemed  that  the  strong,  un- 
known swimmer  would  in  all  probability  reach  the 
sinking  ship  first.  And,  indeed,  there  was  need  of 
haste!  The  schooner,  which  had  been  to  a  certain 
extent  held  up  by  the  very  rocks  that  had  wrecked  her, 
had  torn  herself  loose  and  was  rapidly  sinking  while 
the  prisoner  on  board  this  death-trap  struggled  fran- 
tically to  keep  his  footing  on  the  slanting  deck. 

"Oh,"  moaned  Marion,  "they'll  both  die." 

Without  a  word,  Jessie  slipped  an  arm  about  the 
girl,  and  they  watched  silently — their  young  faces  un- 
natural and  drawn  in  the  queer  yellow  light  of  the 
morning. 

Then,  either  grown  reckless  by  terror  or  fearing 
to  be  drawn  down  in  the  terrible  suction  as  the  ship 
was  dragged  beneath  the  water,  the  poor  wretch  flung 
himself  as  far  out  as  he  could  in  the  direction  of  his 
rescuers. 

Something  between  a  cry  and  a  groan  broke  from 


290  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

the  agonized  crowd  at  what  seemed  the  inevitable  fate 
of  the  two,  but  the  next  instant  it  was  changed  to  a 
shout  of  joyful  incredulity  as  that  valiant  speck  on  the 
water  which  had  temporarily  been  hidden  from  view 
behind  the  wave,  rose  to  the  surface  with  something 
clutched  in  his  hand — and  as  to  the  identity  of  that 
something,  there  could  be  little  doubt. 

A  moment  later  the  life-boat  picked  them  up,  and 
they  had  barely  time  to  turn  her  nose  toward  shore 
when  the  doomed  yacht,  turning  gently  on  her  side  as 
though  weary  of  struggling,  sank  slowly  and  with 
gentle  majesty  below  the  waves,  leaving  only  a  whirl- 
pool swirl  of  water  to  mark  the  spot  where  it  had  been. 

Then,  when  the  straining  tension  relaxed  and  the 
crowd  realized  that  the  tragedy  was  no  tragedy  at  all, 
but  only  a  tremendous  triumph  for  indomitable  pluck 
and  courage,  they  shouted  until  they  were  hoarse,  and 
the  feminine  contingent  wept  on  each  other's  shoulders 
while  the  men  shook  hands  with  friend  and  foe  alike, 
beaming  genially  upon  everyone. 

But  Marion,  poor  little  Marion,  began  to  tremble 
violently,  and  her  face  was  so  white  that  the  girls  ran 
to  her  solicitously.  And  of  them  all  Margaret  was 
the  only  one  who  seemed  to  understand. 

"I  know,  dear,  I  know,"  she  was  saying  over  and 


"My  Little  Sister"  291 

over  again,  as  though  soothing  a  frightened  child.  "It 
will  all  be  all  right — I  know  it  will.  I  saw  him,  too." 

Marion  wrenched  herself  free  and  stared  at  Mar- 
garet unbelievingly.  "You  saw  him,  too?"  she  re- 
peated; then,  clinging  to  her  friend,  she  wailed  pite- 
ously,  "Oh,  then  I  wasn't  dreaming — tell  me  I  wasn't 
dreaming,  Margaret " 

"No,  you  weren't  dreaming,"  Margaret  assured  her 
gently;  then,  turning  to  the  amazed  girls,  she  added 
with  a  little  nod  toward  the  incoming  boat,  "a  good 
deal  is  going  to  happen  in  the  next  five  or  ten  minutes. 
I  don't  think  I'll  have  to  explain  much!" 

Then,  while  the  girls  were  still  dazed  by  the  mys- 
tery of  it  all,  the  small  boat  grounded  on  the  beach 
and  the  eager  crowd  surged  forward  to  welcome  the 
young  hero.  The  latter,  well-built  and  powerful, 
swayed  a  little  as  he  waded  in  toward  shore,  yet  re- 
fused all  help  from  the  friendly  hands  held  out  to  him. 
Someone  in  the  crowd  suggested  three  cheers,  and 
they  were  given  with  a  will  that  brought  a  peculiar, 
twisted  little  smile  to  his  lips.  Then  he  stopped  sud- 
denly— his  gaze  became  riveted  upon  an  approaching 
figure,  while  his  whole  body  instinctively  stiffened  as 
though  he  braced  himself  for  a  shock. 

Grim  and  uncompromising,  Marion's  uncle  marched 


292  Lucile,  B ringer  of  Joy 

down  to  the  water's  edge  and  confronted  the  young 
viking,  who  still  swayed  dizzily  on  his  feet. 

"I — I  didn't  mean  to  bother  you,  uncle,"  he  began, 
grimly,  when  the  other's  gruff  voice  cut  him  short. 

"Confound  it,  sir,"  said  the  older  man,  his  eyes 
moist  beneath  the  uncompromising  brows.  "Confound 
it,  sir — you've  made  me  a  proud  man  to-day.  Accept 
my  congratulations !" 

The  young  man  stared  unbelievingly,  then  with  an 
unsteady  laugh,  he  seized  the  outstretched  hand  and 
wrung  it  fiercely.  The  next  instant  a  little  figure  with 
flying  hair  and  flying  skirts,  all  laughter,  all  tears,  all 
fierce,  yearning  tenderness,  flung  itself  into  his  arms 
and  clung  there. 

Then  this  young  viking,  who  a  short  time  before 
had  risked  his  life  without  a  qualm,  buried  his  face  in 
the  golden-brown  hair  to  hide  the  tears  that  could  not 
be  restrained. 

"Little  girl,"  he  murmured,  brokenly,  "my  own  lit- 
tle sister!" 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

DREAMS 

"So  you  knew  about  it, all  the  time,"  said  Jessie, 
shaking  an  accusing  finger  beneath  Margaret's  defiant 
little  nose.  "No  wonder  Lucy  and  I  thought  you 
didn't  show  much  interest  in  Marion's  affairs." 

It  was  several  hours  later,  and  the  girls  were  seated 
in  semi-joyful  conclave  waiting  for  Lucile  to  join 
them.  They  could  not  be  entirely  joyful,  for  Jack 
had  not  yet  recovered  consciousness,  and  they  were 
anxious  and  worried  about  him.  However,  the  doctor 
had  assured  them  that  the  boy's  normal,  healthy  young 
constitution  and  strong  heart  could  be  counted  on  to 
carry  him  through;  and  this,  together  with  Phil's  un- 
wavering faith  in  his  friend's  recuperative  powers, 
had  gone  a  long  way  to  comfort  them  and  lessen  their 
anxiety. 

"Well,  I  couldn't  help  it,"  said  Margaret,  replying 
to  Jessie's  charge.  "I  suppose  I  did  almost  give  the 

thing  away,  though." 

293 


294  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"But,  Margaret,  you  really  haven't  explained  any- 
thing," said  Marjorie,  edging  up  closer  in  her  eager- 
ness. "How  did  you  come  to  know  Marion's  brother, 
and  what  did  you  have  to  do  with  his  being  here?" 

"I  was  coming  to  that,"  said  Margaret,  her  eyes 
sparkling.  ''You  girls  know  I  was  always  interested 
in  Marion  and  this  missing  brother  of  hers,  and  when 
Dad  found  out  how  much  I  cared,  he  promised  he'd 
look  him  up.  Then,  one  day,  he  found  him." 

"Yes,"  breathed  the  girls. 

"Well,"  Marion  continued,  "there  isn't  much  more 
to  tell.  Dad  took  a  good  deal  of  interest  in  the  boy,  at 
first  for  my  sake,  and  afterward  for  his  own,  and 
finally  persuaded  him  to  go  back  to  his  uncle.  That 
was  hard  work,  and  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Marion,  I 
don't  think  he'd  have  consented.  He's  a  wonderful 
fellow — even  Dad  says  that." 

"Oh!"  cried  Evelyn,  the  irrepressible,  "I  scent  an- 
other romance.  Goodness,  the  place  is  getting  full  of 
them." 

"Speaking  of  romances,"  Marjorie  interjected, 
slyly.  "Here  comes  Jim — and  the  others.  Go  down 
like  a  good  girl,  Evelyn,  dear,  and  let  them  in.  They 
look  as  if  they  had  something  to  tell  us." 


Dreams  295 

And  close  upon  the  entrance  of  the  boys  came  Lu- 
cile,  radiant  and  lovely.  One  glance  at  her  flushed 
face  told  the  girls  what  had  happened,  even  before  she 
spoke. 

"He  knows  me,"  she  cried,  exultantly,  as  the  girls 
ran  to  her.  "And  the  doctor  sent  me  away  for  fear 
he'd  get  too  excited — think  of  it — as  though  I'd  let 
him!" 

"Good  news,  Lucy?"  cried  Phil,  rushing  in  upon 
them  and  reading  Lucile's  face  correctly.  "It  must  be, 
or  you  wouldn't  look  like  that." 

"The  very  best,"  she  assured  him  joyfully.  "If 
you're  very  quiet  perhaps  the  doctor  will  let  you  have 
a  peek  at  him — but  you  mustn't  make  any  noise." 

"Do  you  hear  that,  fellows,"  Phil  cried  to  Ray  and 
Jim,  who  had  followed  him  into  the  room.  "Hooray 
for  old  Jack — I  told  you  he'd  come  through  on  top," 
and  he  was  making  for  the  door  when  Evelyn  called 
out: 

"Hold  on  a  minute!  You  said  something  down- 
stairs about  mysteries  and  thieves — I  couldn't  just 
catch  the  drift.  Explain  yourself,  please." 

"Gee,  I  forgot,"  said  Phil.  "Can't  you  wait  till  I 
come  back?" 


296  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

"No  we  can't,"  Jessie  mimicked;  adding,  reproach- 
fuly,  "Oh,  Phil,  how  can  you  bear  to  leave  us  with 
them  woids  unexplained?" 

"We  can't,"  said  Phil,  accepting  defeat  smilingly. 
"The  news  will  be  all  over  town  very  soon,  anyway. 
They've  found  out  who  stole  all  the  jewels  and 
truck " 

"Phil!"  cried  Lucile  while  the  others  started  and 
drew  nearer.  "You  mean  they've  really  found  the 
thieves?" 

"Cut  out  the  plural  and  you've  got  it,"  he  rejoined. 
"The  criminal  wrote  a  confession  and  skipped  out. 
She's  a  klep — kleptomaniac,  I  think  you  call  it — that 
sure  is  a  jawbreaker " 

"But  who — who  is  she?"  Jessie  broke  in,  impa- 
tiently. Phil,  you're  so  aggravating " 

"Well,  I  can't  tell  you  everything  at  once,  can  I?" 
he  objected  reasonably.  "I  suppose  I  might  as  well 
tell  you  first  as  last,  because  you'd  never  guess  it — 
would  she,  fellows  ?  The  girl  is  one  of  the  last  you'd 

suspect  of  such  a  thing.  Her  name  is "  here  he 

paused  for  dramatic  effect — Peggy  Bright!" 

"Peggy  Bright!"  they  repeated,  dazedly.  "Peggy 
Bright!" 


Dreams  297 

"Well,  I  don't  see  why  we  should  be  surprised,"  said 
Jessie,  forgetting  that  but  a  moment  before  she  had 
been  very  much  surprised,  indeed.  "Anybody  that 
would  talk  behind  a  person's  back  the  way  she  used 
to,  is  capable  of  anything." 

"But  do  they  know  where  the  stolen  things  are?" 
queried  Lucile,  still  too  astonished  to  think  clearly. 
"Yes,  she  told  all  about  them  in  her  confession — did 
everything  but  draw  a  diagram,"  Jim  answered. 
"Guess  things  were  getting  a  little  too  warm  for  her 
here." 

"You  said  it,"  Ray  exclaimed.  "It  was  the  most 
sensible  thing  she  ever  did — to  make  the  getaway 
while  the  going  was  still  good." 

"Say,  but  you  girls  ought  to  see  the  riot  that's  going 
on  in  this  little  old  town,"  Phil  chuckled,  "between  the 
wreck  and  Peggy,  and  the  several  heroes  of  the  occa- 
sion— among  which  we  have  the  great  honor  to  be 
numbered " 

"O-oh — how  could  they  make  such  a  mistake," 
murmured  Jessie,  while  the  look  in  her  eyes  sent  Phil's 
heart  thumping  wildly. 

"It's  all  very  well  to  scoff,"  he  retorted,  "but  just 
wait  till  we  take  you  on  our  next  triumphal  pilgrimage 


298  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

through  the  town.  Why,  they  do  everything  but  greet 
us  with  brass  bands.  And  as  for  Jack  and  that 
brother  of  Marion's — well,  they'll  have  to  hire  a  body- 
guard when  they  appear  on  the  street  to  keep  from 
being  killed  with  kindness." 

"Yes,  and  the  girls  are  preparing  bouquets  and  car- 
loads of  stuff  to  send  to  Jack,"  Ray  grinned.  "He's 
the  more  interesting  of  the  two,  because  he  got 
knocked  out.  You'll  have  to  keep  the  doors  and  win- 
dows locked  if  you  want  to  retain  peace  and  quiet." 

"Here  comes  Marion,"  Phil  announced,  turning 
from  the  window.  "What  do  you  say  we  beat  it  in 
to  see  Jack,  fellows,  and  leave  the  girls  to  greet  her? 
Shouldn't  wonder  if  they'll  have  plenty  to  talk  about 
for  a  long  time  yet." 

And  then  came  Marion,  rosy  and  happy  and  unde- 
niably pretty,  to  rush  in  upon  them  and  hug  them  one 
by  one  and  altogether — half  crying,  half  laughing  and 
altogether  behaving  in  a  manner  that  would  have 
seemed  wholly  inexplicable  to  the  boys  had  they  been 
there.  However,  as  they  were  not,  and  as  the  girls 
seemed  entirely  satisfied  with  this  course  of  procedure, 
there  was  no  one  to  criticize,  one  way  or  the  other. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  happy,"  cried  Marion,  for  the  twen- 


Dreams  299 

tieth  time,  sitting  back  and  laughing  at  them  through 
her  tears.  "It  all  seems  so  unreal." 

"But  it  isn't,"  Evelyn  assured  her,  practically.  "It's 
the  very  realest  thing  that  ever  happened." 

"I  know  it,"  cried  Marion,  happily.  "I  know  it. 
And  to  think  that  all  the  time  Lucile — the  very  dear- 
est friend  a  girl  ever  had" — administering  a  hug  to  the 
"dearest  friend"  that  brought  her  down  from  the  arm 
of  the  sofa  to  a  seat  beside  her — "and  Margaret — an- 
other dearest,  and  all  the  rest  of  you  dear  girls  were 
doing  so  much  to  make  me  happy,  I  was  pitying  my- 
self and  thinking  how  lonesome  and  unhappy  I  ought 
to  be.  Oh,  it  makes  me  ashamed  to  think  of  it.  But 
I  won't  be  like  that  any  more,"  she  added,  with  a  sud- 
den change  of  tone.  "You've  cured  me  once  and  for 
all.  Oh,  girls,  he's  so  wonderful." 

"It's  strange,"  said  Jessie,  dreamily.  "But  that's 
just  what  Margaret  said." 

Margaret  opened  her  mouth  to  retort,  but  shut  it 
again  abruptly  as  their  guardian  appeared  in  the  door- 
way. At  sight  of  her  sweet  face,  the  girls  always  for- 
got everything  but  their  unbounded  affection  for  her, 
and  now  they  clamored  an  eager  greeting. 

"Come  on  in,  guardian,  dear,"  Lucile  called,  offer- 


300  Lucile,  Bringer  of  Joy 

ing  her  seat  on  the  sofa.  "Our  newest  prospective 
camp-fire  girl  has  a  good  deal  to  say  to  you." 

"And  I  have  a  good  deal  to  say  to  her,"  said  Mrs. 
Wescott,  laying  her  hand  gently  on  the  golden-brown 
hair.  Then,  turning  to  Lucile,  she  answered  the  eager 
question  the  dark  eyes  seemed  to  ask.  "The  boys  are 
coming  down  immediately,"  she  said,  "and  Jack  is 
asking  for  you.  It  will  be  all  right  to  go  up  if  you 
don't  stay  long." 

Lucile  crimsoned  and  started  for  the  door  while  the 
girls  looked  after  her  fondly. 

"Don't  hurry  back,  Lucy  dear,"  Evelyn  called 
wickedly.  "We  shan't  miss  you." 

Lucile  paused  in  the  doorway  to  fling  them  a  smile 
and  bow  mockingly.  "Glad  I'm  so  popular,"  she  said, 
and  then  fled. 

But  on  the  landing  she  slackened  her  pace,  and  be- 
fore the  door  of  the  little  guest-room  paused  alto- 
gether, trying  to  summon  courage  to  enter.  And  so 
she  stood,  one  hand  on  the  door-knob — the  little  rose- 
colored  gown  she  wore  deepening  the  flush  on  her 
face,  her  dark  eyes  almost  black  with  nervousness, 
when  the  door  itself  opened  and  the  boys  stepped  out 
into  the  hall. 


HE  CAUGHT  THE  LITTLE  HAND  THAT  WAS  RAISED  IN   PROTEST 


Dreams  301 

"He's  pretty  weak,  Sis,"  Phil  volunteered.  "Do 
you  think  you'd  better  go  in?" 

But  Lucile  had  already  slipped  into  the  room,  shut- 
ting the  door  quietly  behind  her.  A  moment  more  and 
she  had  crossed  silently  to  the  bed  where  Jack  lay,  his 
eyes  closed  wearily  and  one  arm  flung  up  over  his  head 
in  an  attitude  of  utter  relaxation.  He  looked  so  white 
and  the  bandage  around  his  forehead  made  so  sharp  a 
contrast  to  the  black  of  his  hair,  that  Lucile's  breath 
caught  in  something  very  like  a  sob.  At  the  slight 
sound  he  turned  so  suddenly  that  she  was  startled. 

"Be  c-careful,"  she  cautioned,  unsteadily,  "you 
musn't  jump  like  that,  Jack.  The  doctor  says  it's 
d-dangerous." 

"Hang — I  mean,  what  do  I  care  what  the  doctor 
says?"  he  cried,  recklessly.  "There's  only  one  person 
in  the  world  who  can  give  me  orders,  and  she's  so 
near — I  can  touch  her,"  and  with  the  words  he  caught 
the  little  hand  that  had  been  raised  in  protest  at  his 
vehemence. 

"Very  well,'"  she  said,  demurely,  "then  that  one 
commands  you  not  to  talk.  You  really  mustn't,  Jack." 

"Oh,  all  right,"  he  sighed,  happy  eyes  fixed  on  her 
averted  face.  "Only,  please  don't  take  your  hand 


302  Lucile,  Bringei  of  Joy 

away.  If  you  do,  I'll  talk  as  hard  as  I  can  till  you  put 
it  back!" 

So  the  little  hand  remained  where  it  was  while  it's 
owner  gazed  steadily  out  of  the  window,  strangely  un- 
willing to  meet  the  look  in  the  eyes  that  were  fixed 
upon  her. 

After  a  pause,  during  which  neither  of  them  had 
found  it  necessary  to  speak,  he  said,  so  suddenly  that 
she  started: 

"The  fellows  told  me  about  this  mysterious  brother 
of  Marion's  coming  on  the  scene  in  the  nick  of  time. 
It  must  have  been  mighty  spectacular." 

"It  was,  rather,"  she  agreed.  "They  say  he's  a 
splendid  fellow." 

"That's  just  the  point,"  he  said,  adding  with  a 
whimsical  smile.  "All  the  girls  will  be  going  down 
on  their  knees  to  him  now  and — and — I  was  afraid 
you  might  catch  the — contagion."  He  looked  at  her 
wistfully. 

For  a  moment,  Lucile's  face  expressed  only  blank 
amazement,  then  she  broke  into  a  little  ripple  of  irre- 
sistible laughter. 

"Oh,  how  funny,"  she  chuckled;  "as  if  I  would! 
Besides,"  she  added,  "I — I  wouldn't  want  to "  and 


Dreams  308 

then  at  the  look  that  leapt  to  his  eyes,  she  added,  con- 
fusedly, "I — I  think  I — hear  Mrs.  Wescott  com- 
ing " 

"Lucile,"  he  cried,  "look  at  me — just  once " 

"Oh,  you  said  you  wouldn't  talk,"  she  feinted,  des- 
perately. "You  promised " 

"Then  look  at  me,"  he  pleaded,  softly  as  the  sound 
of  footsteps  grew  nearer.  "Just  look  at  me,  and  I 
won't  say  another  word — please!" 

Then  for  a  fleeting  second  their  eyes  met  and  in  that 
moment  visions  of  what  might  come  to  them  filled 
their  hearts  to  overflowing  and  made  the  world  a  place 
of  joy  and  laughter  and  wonderful  dreams ! 

THE   END 


DC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000052112     o 


